The Presidential Office on the 18th related to the fact that President Lee Jae-myung's national approval rating recorded its lowest since taking office in some polls, said, "The Lee Jae-myung administration is always listening to what the people want."
Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jeong noted during a briefing that day, in response to a question about the recent decline in President Lee's national approval rating, "We are listening to various voices that come from directly hearing from the market, letters, and voices delivered online, as well as polls."
She added, "On the one hand, we are contemplating what specific methods exist to practically improve people's lives, and we are on that journey of contemplation." She further noted, "We are preparing long-term plans to achieve a better economic situation and improve people's livelihoods to overcome the current difficulties."
Earlier, in a poll conducted by Realmeter at the request of the Energy Economic Newspaper from the 11th to the 14th on 2,003 adults nationwide, it was revealed that the approval rating for President Lee's governance was 51.1%, a drop of 5.4 percentage points compared to the previous week, marking the lowest since taking office. (The margin of error is ±2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 5.2%. For more details, refer to the website of the Central Election Polling Review Committee.)
Meanwhile, in some quarters of the ruling party, there were public demands for the dismissal of Kim Hyung-seok, the head of the memorial hall. Spokesperson Kang drew a line on this issue, stating, "Since the head of the memorial hall is appointed for a term, the Presidential Office does not have a particular position to specially clarify the qualifications of Director Kim Hyung-seok," but added, "I understand that there are many who say that there are still inappropriate remarks and actions. I think Director Kim should listen to public opinion that may lead to social controversy."
Appointed by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Director Kim was engulfed in controversy after stating on the 15th, "Liberation is a gift obtained through the victory of the Allies in World War II." Kim Byeong-ki, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, also called for his "immediate dismissal" that day.