Why did President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating fall in the latest National Barometer Survey?

The poll showed weaker support for his state affairs handling and sharp criticism of recent Cabinet nominations. Approval fell to 43 percent, while disapproval rose to 48 percent, the first time disapproval had overtaken approval in the biweekly survey.

What controversies are surrounding Kim Seung-won and Yong Hye-in after their nominations?

Kim Seung-won has been accused of illegally lobbying for a COVID-19 treatment in 2021, while Yong Hye-in was criticized for refusing to give up her proportional representation seat in the National Assembly. Those disputes followed their late-August nominations.

How did respondents view sending Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz?

Opinion was divided, but opposition was stronger. Forty-five percent opposed the move, while 36 percent supported it, showing more resistance than backing among respondents.

Lee's approval rating drops to lowest level since taking office: poll

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Summary

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating fell to its lowest level since taking office in June last year, a poll showed Thursday. In the National Barometer Survey of 1,002 adults conducted Monday to Wednesday, 43 percent approved of his handling of state affairs, while 48 percent disapproved. The survey also showed negative views of his Cabinet picks and divided opinion on deploying Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz.

Key Facts

The survey was a National Barometer Survey of 1,002 people aged 18 and older conducted Monday to Wednesday.
Lee’s approval rating stood at 43 percent, down 7 percentage points from the previous survey two weeks earlier.
Disapproval of Lee’s performance reached 48 percent, the first time it had surpassed his approval rating in the biweekly survey.
Forty-seven percent negatively assessed the nomination of Rep. Kim Seung-won as justice minister, while 24 percent viewed it positively.
Sixty-three percent said Lee’s pick of Rep. Yong Hye-in for gender equality minister was a poor choice, compared with 17 percent who supported it.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 10, 2026 11:44 am KST

President Lee Jae Myung attends a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron following their talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Sept. 8. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating fell to the lowest level since he took office in June last year, a poll showed Thursday.

In a National Barometer Survey of 1,002 people aged 18 and older conducted Monday to Wednesday, 43 percent positively assessed Lee's handling of state affairs, down 7 percentage points from the previous survey conducted two weeks earlier.

Disapproval of his performance stood at 48 percent, marking the first time it has surpassed his approval rating in the biweekly survey.

On the recent Cabinet reshuffle, 47 percent negatively assessed the nomination of Rep. Kim Seung-won as justice minister, compared with 24 percent who viewed it positively.

For the gender equality minister nominee, 63 percent said Lee's pick of Rep. Yong Hye-in was a poor choice, while 17 percent supported his decision.

Following their nominations late last month, the two nominees have come under fire over separate controversies, with Kim accused of illegally lobbying for a COVID-19 treatment in 2021 and Yong for refusing to give up her proportional representation seat in the National Assembly.

On the possible deployment of Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz, 45 percent of the respondents opposed the move, while 36 percent supported it.

Support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea stood at 39 percent, down 2 percentage points from the previous survey, while the main opposition People Power Party saw its rating increase 5 percentage points to 25 percent.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

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