By Kim Bo-eun
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating hit 48.8 percent, an all-time low since he took office in May 2017, according to an opinion poll by Realmeter released Thursday.
Moon's popularity has continued to fall for nine consecutive weeks since after his third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in September. The President has lost 16.5 percentage points of support in the past nine weeks.
This is largely because of the dark prospects of the economy ― as indices on employment and investment have worsened, and expectations for a rebound are falling accordingly, the pollster said.
The fall is also attributed to a division in a support base within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), over a scandal surrounding DPK-affiliated Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung's wife, according to the pollster. She is alleged to have slandered Lee's election rivals on social media.
"The internal division within Moon's support base has led to a feeling of lethargy for ruling party members, leaving them susceptible to the opposition's offensive. This is as a factor of Moon's fall in ratings," Realmeter stated.
Moon's ratings for the fourth week of November were based on a survey of 1,508 electors nationwide, from Nov. 26 to 28.
The latest ratings show a 3.2 percentage point drop from a week earlier in responses that the President is doing a good job.
Meanwhile, negative responses to Moon's performance grew 3.3 percentage points to 45.8 percent.
Compared to the ratings in the fourth week of September following the third inter-Korean summit from Sept. 18 to 20, Moon lost support from across all regions, age groups, political inclinations and occupational groups.
Moon lost the most support in the conservative turfs of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, as well as Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.
According to age group, he lost the most support from those in their 50s and 60s. As for political inclinations, he lost the most support from centrists and conservatives.
"This shows the middle-aged group in their 50s who consistently showed support after Moon's inauguration now negatively evaluate the President," the pollster said.
The DPK also saw a nine-week consecutive fall in its approval rating, marking 37.6 percent for the fourth week of November.
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| Moon Jae-in |
Moon's popularity has continued to fall for nine consecutive weeks since after his third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in September. The President has lost 16.5 percentage points of support in the past nine weeks.
This is largely because of the dark prospects of the economy ― as indices on employment and investment have worsened, and expectations for a rebound are falling accordingly, the pollster said.
The fall is also attributed to a division in a support base within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), over a scandal surrounding DPK-affiliated Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung's wife, according to the pollster. She is alleged to have slandered Lee's election rivals on social media.
"The internal division within Moon's support base has led to a feeling of lethargy for ruling party members, leaving them susceptible to the opposition's offensive. This is as a factor of Moon's fall in ratings," Realmeter stated.
Moon's ratings for the fourth week of November were based on a survey of 1,508 electors nationwide, from Nov. 26 to 28.
The latest ratings show a 3.2 percentage point drop from a week earlier in responses that the President is doing a good job.
Meanwhile, negative responses to Moon's performance grew 3.3 percentage points to 45.8 percent.
Compared to the ratings in the fourth week of September following the third inter-Korean summit from Sept. 18 to 20, Moon lost support from across all regions, age groups, political inclinations and occupational groups.
Moon lost the most support in the conservative turfs of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, as well as Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.
According to age group, he lost the most support from those in their 50s and 60s. As for political inclinations, he lost the most support from centrists and conservatives.
"This shows the middle-aged group in their 50s who consistently showed support after Moon's inauguration now negatively evaluate the President," the pollster said.
The DPK also saw a nine-week consecutive fall in its approval rating, marking 37.6 percent for the fourth week of November.
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