Moon's approval rating hits record low

President Moon Jae-in drinks a cup of tea at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Thursday, after having a meeting with ministry officials. / Yonhap

By Park Ji-won

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped to a record low last week, a poll showed Monday.

According to a survey by pollster Realmeter, 47.1 percent of the public said they approved of Moon's performance, down 1.4 percentage points from last week.

Amid an ongoing controversy over the alleged surveillance of civilians by Cheong Wa Dae, the approval rating fell to the lowest in three weeks, according to Realmeter.

A total of 46.1 percent said they were discontent with Moon's performance, down 0.7 percentage points on a weekly basis.

The weekly survey was conducted from Dec. 17 to Dec. 21 on 2,513 adults throughout the country.

Former Cheong Wa Dae official Kim Tae-woo is suspected of covertly monitoring civilians under orders from the presidential office. Cheong Wa Dae flatly denied the allegation claiming the presidential office didn't give the go-ahead for those activities. Cheong Wa Dae filed a complaint with the investigator against Kim last week.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) approval rating gained 1 percentage point, bringing it to 38 percent, while that of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) earned 1.3 points, lifting their rating to 25.4 percent.

The approval ratings of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party and the Party for Democracy and Peace were 5.6 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. The approval rating of the liberal Justice Party decreased to 8.1 percent, down 0.6 percent.