President Lee Jae-myung’s Approval Rating Hits 64%, Highest Economic Optimism in Years

[Choice Times=Woo-Yeol Yoon, Staff Reporter]

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is enjoying robust public approval, with 64 percent of respondents saying he is doing a good job, according to a new poll released by Gallup Korea on Wednesday. The results suggest strong support for his economic and governance agenda just over a year into his term.

The nationwide survey, conducted from June 24 to 26 among 1,004 adults aged 18 and over, found that only 21 percent believed the president was performing poorly.

Among those who gave a positive assessment, 14 percent cited his handling of economic and livelihood issues, followed by leadership and execution (13%), communication skills (8%), personnel appointments (6%), job competency (5%), and foreign policy (5%).

Critics of the president, on the other hand, pointed to what they saw as excessive welfare spending (20%), his absence from international summits such as NATO (20%), moral or ethical concerns (12%), and appointments (10%) as reasons for disapproval.

Economic optimism has also surged. When asked about the outlook for the national economy in the next year, 52 percent of respondents said it would improve—marking the highest level of optimism in eight years. Only 25 percent said they expected conditions to worsen.

Ideological leanings appeared to affect economic sentiment: 78 percent of self-identified progressives said the economy would get better, while 50 percent of conservatives anticipated a downturn.

In another notable finding, 43 percent of respondents said Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok was a suitable candidate, while 31 percent said he was unfit for the role. An additional 25 percent reserved judgment. These numbers mark a slight shift from a previous poll conducted prior to his confirmation hearing, when 49 percent supported his nomination and 23 percent opposed it.

Party support was led by the ruling Democratic Party at 43 percent, followed by the conservative People Power Party at 23 percent. The Rebuilding Korea Party and the Reform Party each garnered 4 percent, while the Progressive Party polled at 1 percent.

The poll was conducted via live interview calls to randomly generated mobile phone numbers. The contact rate was 44.9 percent, and the response rate stood at 13.4 percent. Full details are available at the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.

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