President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating rose by 3 percentage points to 59%.
According to a survey conducted by Korea Gallup from the 26th to the 28th on 1,000 eligible voters aged 18 and over nationwide, 59% gave a positive evaluation of President Lee's governance. The negative evaluation was 30%. Eleven percent withheld their opinions.
President Lee's approval rating increased by 3 percentage points compared to the previous week. The negative evaluation dropped by 5 percentage points. The approval rating, which had declined due to the August 15 Liberation Day special pardon, showed a slight rebound due to the Korea-U.S. summit.
The top reasons for both positive and negative evaluations were 'diplomacy.' Among those who gave a positive evaluation, 21% cited 'diplomacy', while 'economy/livelihood' accounted for 12% and 'overall doing well' was 11%. Among those who gave a negative evaluation, 12% cited 'diplomacy', while 'excessive welfare/livelihood subsidies' and 'labor policy' were each cited by 9%. The number one reason for negative evaluations shifted from 'special pardon' to 'diplomacy.' Gallup analyzed, "President Lee's visits to Japan and the United States, and the recent legislation led by the ruling party (such as the yellow envelope law and the amendment to the Commercial Code) seems to have influenced this."
There was a lot of positive feedback regarding the Korea-U.S. summit. Fifty-eight percent responded that it 'was beneficial to our national interests', while 23% said it 'was not beneficial.' Gallup stated, "It may take more time to know the specific contents and outcomes of this Korea-U.S. summit, but compared to what Koreans were concerned about around last year's U.S. presidential election, it is perceived as having performed reasonably well."
Regarding the so-called 'yellow envelope law', which is an amendment to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act, support was at 42% and opposition at 38%. The progressive camp had more support, while the conservative camp had more opposition.
Support for political parties showed the Democratic Party of Korea remained at 44%, the same as last week, while the People Power Party fell by 2 percentage points to 23%.
This survey was conducted through random sampling of virtual phone numbers provided by the three telecommunications companies, with interviewers conducting direct interviews. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate is 11.8%. Detailed information can be found on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.