Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rose for the second consecutive week to 59.7 percent, a survey showed Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, which conducted the survey commissioned by a local news outlet, the positive assessment of Lee's performance increased by 0.4 percentage points from the previous week. Meanwhile, the negative assessment saw a slight rise of 0.1 percentage points, reaching 33.6 percentage points.
Realmeter assessed that Lee's approval rating was supported by several livelihood-related initiatives, including his first supplementary budget speech, the implementation of tightened loan curbs, and bold personnel appointments. However, the polling agency noted that controversies involving Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok and Lee's absence from the NATO summit tempered a more significant increase in his approval rating.
The survey was conducted over the course of last week, from Monday to Friday, involving 2,511 adults. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, with a confidence rate of 95 percent. In a separate survey by the same pollster, which involved 1,000 individuals aged 18 and over on Thursday and Friday, the approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) increased to 50.6 percent, a 2.2 percentage point rise from the previous week. This marks the first instance of the DP's support surpassing the 50 percent threshold since Lee assumed office on June 4.
Support for the main opposition, the People Power Party, fell by 1.4 percentage points to 30 percent, thereby widening the gap between the two parties to 20.6 percentage points. This survey holds a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, with a confidence rate of 95 percent.