By Kim Rahn
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has dropped to almost its lowest level since his inauguration in May, according to the latest poll released Monday.
The decline in public support for Moon is largely attributed to controversies over North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the government's dubious stance on cryptocurrencies and the ongoing investigation into former administrations, analysts said.
According to the survey conducted last week by Realmeter with 2,509 adults, Moon's support rate stood at 66 percent, down by 4.6 percentage points from the week earlier.
It is the second lowest it's been since the third week of September last year, when the rating was 65.6 percent following North Korea's sixth nuclear test.
Some 29 percent said Moon was not doing well in state management, up 5.5 percentage points from a week earlier.
The decline was attributable to the controversies over the North's participation in the Olympics and regulations on cryptocurrencies, as well as Moon's "fury" remark about former President Lee Myung-bak's criticism of the prosecution's ongoing investigation, the poll agency said.
Both North Korea and South Korea agreed on the joint entrance of athletes together under the "unification flag" at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, a joint team for women's ice hockey, cultural performances by a North Korean art troupe and South Korean athletes training at the North's Masikryong Ski Resort.
The use of the unification flag instead of the South Korean national flag, Taegeukgi, has received a lot of criticism, especially among conservatives, that it is inappropriate for the host country not to use its own flag.
Members of younger generations also expressed criticism about the joint hockey team, saying some South Korean athletes will fall victim to it because it will take away opportunities from them to play in the Olympics despite their years-long efforts.
People also denounced the lack of coordination among government agencies over policies on cryptocurrencies. Heads of multiple related organizations _ the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance and Strategy, the Financial Services Commission and the Fair Trade Commission _ have presented different stances about how to regulate the virtual currencies, with some saying the government may shut down local exchanges while others say it would not.
The exchange of barbs between Moon and Lee also did not affect Moon favorably.
Last Wednesday, Lee said the ongoing probe into the alleged corruption against him was political retaliation over the death of former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, a longtime friend of Moon. Roh killed himself in 2009 while being investigated for bribery, and the liberal bloc has said the probe was conducted in favor of then-President Lee.
The next day Moon expressed fury, saying Lee's remarks insulted his administration and the legal system.
Right after Moon's expression of anger, his daily approval rating declined to 64.8 percent Thursday and further to 64.4 percent Friday, the lowest ever.
 |
| President Moon Jae-in |
The decline in public support for Moon is largely attributed to controversies over North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the government's dubious stance on cryptocurrencies and the ongoing investigation into former administrations, analysts said.
According to the survey conducted last week by Realmeter with 2,509 adults, Moon's support rate stood at 66 percent, down by 4.6 percentage points from the week earlier.
It is the second lowest it's been since the third week of September last year, when the rating was 65.6 percent following North Korea's sixth nuclear test.
Some 29 percent said Moon was not doing well in state management, up 5.5 percentage points from a week earlier.
The decline was attributable to the controversies over the North's participation in the Olympics and regulations on cryptocurrencies, as well as Moon's "fury" remark about former President Lee Myung-bak's criticism of the prosecution's ongoing investigation, the poll agency said.
Both North Korea and South Korea agreed on the joint entrance of athletes together under the "unification flag" at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, a joint team for women's ice hockey, cultural performances by a North Korean art troupe and South Korean athletes training at the North's Masikryong Ski Resort.
The use of the unification flag instead of the South Korean national flag, Taegeukgi, has received a lot of criticism, especially among conservatives, that it is inappropriate for the host country not to use its own flag.
Members of younger generations also expressed criticism about the joint hockey team, saying some South Korean athletes will fall victim to it because it will take away opportunities from them to play in the Olympics despite their years-long efforts.
People also denounced the lack of coordination among government agencies over policies on cryptocurrencies. Heads of multiple related organizations _ the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance and Strategy, the Financial Services Commission and the Fair Trade Commission _ have presented different stances about how to regulate the virtual currencies, with some saying the government may shut down local exchanges while others say it would not.
The exchange of barbs between Moon and Lee also did not affect Moon favorably.
Last Wednesday, Lee said the ongoing probe into the alleged corruption against him was political retaliation over the death of former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, a longtime friend of Moon. Roh killed himself in 2009 while being investigated for bribery, and the liberal bloc has said the probe was conducted in favor of then-President Lee.
The next day Moon expressed fury, saying Lee's remarks insulted his administration and the legal system.
Right after Moon's expression of anger, his daily approval rating declined to 64.8 percent Thursday and further to 64.4 percent Friday, the lowest ever.
![[INTERVIEW] Actor Ko Kyoung-pyo explains why he doesn't obsess over lead roles](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/5dfecd3b148845758412eb8826adf928.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
