Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung's public approval rating has increased to 65 percent, while support for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has reached another record low, according to a recent poll conducted on Thursday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the National Barometer Survey carried out from Monday to Wednesday revealed a 1 percentage point rise in the positive assessment of Lee's performance compared to the previous poll conducted two weeks ago. However, the negative assessment of his performance also saw an increase of 2 percentage points, reaching 24 percent.
The survey highlighted a significant drop in the PPP's approval rating, which hit a new low of 16 percent, decreasing by 1 percentage point since the last survey. Conversely, support for the ruling Democratic Party saw a slight increase of 1 percentage point, now standing at 44 percent.
In addition to political approval ratings, the survey assessed public opinion on the recent trade deal between South Korea and the United States. A majority of 62 percent of respondents viewed the trade agreement positively, while 28 percent had a negative perspective. Under the agreement, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump last week, Washington agreed to lower "reciprocal" tariffs on Korea from 25 percent to 15 percent in exchange for Seoul's commitment to invest US$350 billion in the U.S., among other pledges.
The survey also explored opinions on South Korea's foreign policy direction, with 51 percent of respondents advocating for "balanced diplomacy" between China and the U.S., while 42 percent favored strengthening the alliance with the U.S.
Regarding the Lee administration's recent "consumption coupons" initiative-designed as a cash handout to stimulate the economy-67 percent of those surveyed expressed optimism about its potential to boost economic activity, whereas 31 percent were skeptical.
The poll was conducted by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research, involving 1,001 participants aged 18 and older. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.