Moon Jae-in less popular among those in 20s: survey

President Moon Jae-in

By Yi Whan-woo

President Moon Jae-in is becoming unpopular among those in their 20s who are struggling to find full-time jobs and are annoyed with his labor policies aimed at helping irregular workers, according to a survey released Friday.

Gallup Korea said Moon’s approval rating among those aged 20 to 29 was 41 percent, down from 53 percent a week earlier, in a survey conducted from June 23 to 25.

It said 47 percent of the same age group disapproved of Moon’s performance this week. The figure was up by 15 percentage points. The respondents were among 1,001 people aged 18 or older. The overall disapproval rating was 39 percent, up from 35 percent last week. The pollster attributed Moon’s unpopularity among those in their 20s to Incheon International Airport upgrading its irregular workers to regular status on June 22.

The measure was in line with Moon’s pledge for “zero irregular workers” to prevent employees from being mistreated at workplaces, including public firms.

The young jobseekers argued that the measure was reverse discrimination against full-time employees in the public sector who face intense competition.

Among other reasons for Moon’s unpopularity among the group was the heightened tension between the two Koreas. The situation goes against Moon’s signature reconciliatory policy with the North.