Park's popularity sinks to new low

By Yi Whan-woo

President Park Geun-hye’s popularity plummeted in a survey this week, reflecting clear disappointment from the public for the “disconnect” she showed with the people’s wishes.

Park’s approval rating hit a record-low since taking office in February 2013, according to the latest Gallup poll released Friday.

In the survey, those who answered positively about Park’s performance stood only at 35 percent, 5 percentage points down from last week’s poll.

Fifty-five percent of the respondents rated the President negatively, who is in the third year of her presidency.

Gallup surveyed 1,200 people, and the poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

Over 70 percent of those in their 20s and 30s gave the President negative ratings on her overall performance.

Sixty-two percent of the survey takers in their 60s rated Park positively, while 43 percent in their 50s and 32 percent in their 40s did so.

The Seoul-based pollster said Park failed to capitalize on her New Year news conference Monday.

She was expected to map out her plan for a personnel reshuffle amid recent lax discipline prevalent at Cheong Wa Dae.

Park instead said she will retain presidential Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon and three presidential secretaries in spite of growing public calls to fire them.

Kim has been criticized for wielding his power excessively. The trio — Lee Jae-man, Jeong Ho-sung and An Bong-geun — were believed to be leaking information on state affairs to Park’s former aide, Jeong Yun-hoe, although he does not hold any position at Cheong Wa Dae.

Jeong Yun-hoe was suspected of peddling influence on presidential affairs, although the President denied such rumors at the New Year conference.

“The poll shows that the people did not buy her explanation,” Gallup said.

Some 19 percent of the respondents who rated Park negatively cited her lack of communication with the public for the fall in her approval rating. Another 13 percent cited failure in personnel management, while 11 percent accused Park of failing to carry out pledges made during her 2012 presidential campaign.