Moon's approval rating down 4.6% points amid inter-Korean tensions

President Moon Jae-in / Yonhap

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has declined to 53.6 percent, the lowest in about three months, a poll showed Thursday amid escalating tensions between the two Koreas.

In a phone survey of 1,507 people nationwide, aged 18 or older, conducted from Monday to Wednesday, his approval fell 4.6 percentage points from last week, Realmeter said.

It marks the lowest since the fourth week of March when it stood at 52.6 percent.

The proportion of those disapproving of his leadership rose 4.1 percentage points to 41.1 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

The poll results came as North Korea destroyed a joint liaison office, established in accordance with the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration issued by Moon and the communist nation's leader Kim Jong-un following their summit at the border village. The two sides then exchanged strong-worded statements condemning each other.

A majority of respondents took a dim view of the ruling Democratic Party's push for the National Assembly's ratification of the summit agreement.

Asked about whether lawmakers' formal approval would help improve Seoul-Pyongyang relations, 51.6 percent were pessimistic, while 39.2 percent expressed support, according to Realmeter. (Yonhap)