Politics · South Korea · 17 hrs ago
South Korean president's approval slips to 35.9% in poll
A South Korean poll put President Lee Jae Myung's approval at 35.9%, down one percentage point from the previous week.
The survey found that 60.6% disapproved of his performance, up half a point.
The pollster linked the drop to a sharp political standoff between the ruling and opposition parties, along with falling share prices and controversy over losses involving the National Pension Service.
A separate survey found the People Power Party at 39.7% and the Democratic Party at 36.5%.
Their 3.2-point gap was within the survey's margin of error, so the poll did not establish a clear lead.
The surveys covered adults in South Korea and were conducted by phone using automated responses; no further action or next step was reported.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating fell 1 percentage point to 35.9%, according to a Realmeter poll.
The poll found that 60.6% disapproved of Lee’s performance and 3.4% were unsure.
Realmeter attributed the decline to political confrontation and financial-market concerns.
In a separate poll, the People Power Party led the Democratic Party by 3.2 percentage points, within the margin of error.
- Who
- South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
- What
- His approval rating fell 1 percentage point to 35.9%.
- When
- The approval poll was conducted from Nov. 2 to 6, 2026; the results were reported on Nov. 9.
- Where
- Nationwide in South Korea.
- Why
- Realmeter cited political confrontation and financial-market concerns, including a stock-market drop and debate over losses to the national pension fund.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Realmeter surveyed 2,528 adults nationwide about Lee’s job performance.
A separate Realmeter survey of 1,006 adults measured party support.
The poll results were reported.
- Lee’s approval
- 35.9%, down 1.0 percentage point
- Disapproval
- 60.6%, up 0.5 percentage point
- Democratic Party support
- 36.5%, down 1.8 percentage points
- People Power Party support
- 39.7%, down 0.5 percentage point
- Approval poll sample
- 2,528 adults; margin of error ±1.9 percentage points at 95% confidence
3 sources
What people are saying
The approval rating appears to have fallen as political confrontation intensified over the forced passage of the special counsel bill on alleged fabricated indictments, while a sharp stock-market decline after the KOSPI fell below 5,000 late in the week and controversy over losses to the National Pension Service added to financial-market concerns.