ED Eroding public support for Lee

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech at the Sejong Center for Performing Arts in central Seoul, Aug. 15. Yonhap

The latest public opinion poll has sounded the alarm over President Lee Jae Myung’s job performance. His approval ratings have continued to slide, hitting their lowest level since he took office in June.

Poll numbers rise and fall depending on methodology, timing and the agencies conducting them. But this time, the message is too clear to ignore. The presidential office and the ruling party must face the trend squarely and analyze what has gone wrong with the Lee administration.

In a democracy, public support is essential — it sustains political leadership. Without it, elected leaders find it extremely difficult to push their policy agenda. This makes it imperative for Lee to regain public trust if he wants to remain in control of state affairs.

A Realmeter poll of 2,300 respondents conducted between Aug. 11 and 14 found Lee’s approval rating at 51.1 percent, down 5.4 points from the previous week. Even more alarming, the result represents a 12.2-point plunge compared to the same agency’s findings just two weeks earlier.

Lee, sworn in on June 4 after winning a snap presidential election held on June 3 triggered by the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol, is still a new leader. In ordinary circumstances, a 51 percent approval rating might not be disastrous for a president if he has been in office for more than a year. But for one who has served just two months, that number — combined with a clear downward spiral — can only be read as negative.

Now is the time for Lee, his aides and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to reflect seriously on what has gone wrong with the administration. If they can identify the causes and agree on remedies, they may still be able to reverse the tide.

Korea's recent history offers a sobering lesson: presidents who ignore plunging public sentiment pay heavy prices. Two of Lee’s predecessors, Yoon and Park Geun-hye, were impeached after dismissing public anger.

If the Lee administration remains idle in the face of today’s warning signs, there is no guarantee that it won’t face a similar fate.

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has blamed Lee’s controversial pardoning of two disgraced politicians — former lawmakers Cho Kuk and Yoon Mee-hyang — as a key reason behind the president’s falling approval ratings.

“President Lee’s controversial pardoning of Cho Kuk and Yoon Mee-hyang has dragged his ratings down further. President Lee, this is the public opinion,” Ahn wrote on social media.

The PPP lawmaker went further, calling Lee’s pardon of Yoon “as toxic as selling the nation.” He reminded the public that Yoon was convicted of embezzling funds meant to support victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery, underscoring his claim that Lee’s decision was indefensible.

Ahn’s criticism has found partial backing in public opinion data. A Gallup Korea poll released Friday suggested Lee’s special pardons indeed hurt his ratings. According to the survey, his approval fell 5 percentage points from the previous week. When asked why they disapproved of Lee’s job performance, 15 percent of respondents cited the pardoning of Cho and Yoon as a decisive factor. Other cited reasons included excessive use of prepaid vouchers (11 percent), mishandling of foreign policy (10 percent) and alleged ethical lapses (7 percent). The full results of the public opinion surveys are available on the National Election Commission’s website.

Lee’s success matters not only for his administration but for the entire nation. If he fails, the country risks reliving the kind of turmoil that followed former President Yoon’s disastrous martial law decree. To succeed, Lee must look beyond his inner circle and learn to work with opponents as well as allies.

Lee must also work to regain the public’s trust. Broadly, there are two ways leaders can attempt this. One is through populist measures, such as indiscriminate use of prepaid vouchers to buy public support. But such policies are toxic and unsustainable, ultimately damaging the economy’s financial health. The latest Gallup poll shows that the public, well aware of these consequences, remains skeptical of heavy spending policies.

The other, more responsible way is to build consensus on key policy initiatives. This is the path a democratically elected leader should follow. Had Lee listened to negative public opinion and removed controversial figures from his pardon list, he would likely have avoided the backlash he now faces.