Lee Jae Myung’s approval rises to 46% in South Korean poll

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating rose to 46% in a National Barometer Survey released on October 29, moving above his 44% disapproval rating for the first time since late August, according to Yonhap News Agency. The survey of 1,000 adults was conducted nationwide from October 26 to 28.

Approval was up two percentage points from the previous survey, while disapproval fell five points, Yonhap reported. The two-point gap between the latest approval and disapproval estimates is smaller than the poll’s stated margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

How Lee’s rating has changed

Seoul Economic Daily reported that 46% of respondents said Lee’s administration was heading in the right direction, against 45% who said it was heading in the wrong direction. Among respondents described as moderates, those figures were 52% and 40%, respectively. The outlet reported that positive assessments of Lee’s performance outweighed negative ones among respondents in their 40s and 50s, while negative assessments were higher among those in their 60s and those aged 70 or older.

Party support and views on chief justice impeachment

Support for Lee’s Democratic Party rose three points to 36%, while support for the opposition People Power Party fell three points to 25%, according to Yonhap. Seoul Economic Daily put the gap between the parties at 11 points, up from five points in the previous survey, and said 31% of respondents were undecided on party support.

On the proposed impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, 34% of respondents were in favor and 45% were opposed, Yonhap reported. It said some lawmakers had called for his impeachment in recent weeks, citing his refusal to recommend a new candidate to the top court despite a request from the presidential office, along with allegations of election interference and improper use of official funds. Those allegations remain allegations.

How the National Barometer Survey was conducted

Seoul Economic Daily identified Embrain Public, K-Stat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research as the firms behind the National Barometer Survey. It said interviews were conducted by telephone using mobile phone virtual numbers and reported a response rate of 16.8%. The poll’s margin of error applies to its survey estimates; it does not establish an exact change in opinion across the population.