What are the latest approval ratings for President Lee Jae Myung and South Korea’s political parties?

Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating was 37 percent and his disapproval rating was 51 percent. Support for the Democratic Party stood at 35 percent, while the People Power Party had 26 percent support.

Why do South Koreans approve or disapprove of Lee Jae Myung’s performance?

Foreign affairs was the most cited reason among respondents who viewed Lee’s performance positively, followed by economic and livelihood issues. Among those who viewed him negatively, real estate policies ranked first, followed by defense, security and North Korea policy.

How did the latest Gallup Korea poll measure support for Lee Jae Myung?

Gallup Korea conducted the survey from Tuesday through Thursday among 1,000 adults aged 18 and older. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

Lee's approval rating remains at 37%: poll

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Summary

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating held at 37 percent in South Korea this week, while his disapproval rating fell to 51 percent. A Gallup Korea poll conducted Tuesday through Thursday found that foreign affairs was the leading reason for positive assessments, while real estate policies were the top reason for negative assessments. Support for the ruling Democratic Party fell to 35 percent, its lowest since Lee’s administration began in June last year.

Key Facts

The poll surveyed 1,000 people aged 18 and older and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
Lee’s disapproval rating fell 5 percentage points from 56 percent in the previous poll.
Among positive assessments, 24 percent cited foreign affairs and 14 percent cited economic and livelihood issues.
Among negative assessments, 18 percent cited real estate policies and 15 percent cited defense, security and North Korea policy.
Support for the People Power Party fell 1 percentage point to 26 percent.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 9, 2026 11:19 am KST

President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a joint press briefing with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at Chung Wa Dae, Thursday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating held steady at 37 percent this week, with disapproval falling to 51 percent, a poll showed Friday.

Positive assessment of Lee's performance remained unchanged from the last poll conducted three weeks earlier, according to the Gallup Korea survey conducted from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,000 people aged 18 and older.

Lee's disapproval rating fell 5 percentage points from 56 percent in the previous poll.

Among those who positively assessed Lee's performance, 24 percent cited foreign affairs, followed by economic and livelihood issues at 14 percent.

Among those who negatively assessed his performance, 18 percent cited his real estate policies, followed by defense, security and North Korea policy at 15 percent.

Support for the ruling Democratic Party fell 5 percentage points from the previous survey to 35 percent, marking the lowest since the launch of Lee's administration in June last year.

Support for the main opposition People Power Party fell 1 percentage point to 26 percent.

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

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