A poll on the 30th found that President Lee Jae-myung's job approval stayed in the 60% range for a third straight week.
In a survey by Realmeter commissioned by Energy Economy News of 2,513 people aged 18 or older nationwide from the 23rd to the 27th, the positive rating for the president's job performance was tallied at 62.2%, the same as the previous week. The negative rating was 32.2%, down 0.3 percentage points from the previous week. The share who answered "don't know" was 5.6%.
Realmeter analyzed, "Although the government rolled out robust livelihood measures such as a fuel tax cut, a 25 trillion won 'war supplementary budget,' and a freeze on electricity rates, approval appears to have moved sideways amid worsening economic indicators, including the exchange rate breaking 1,510 won and the KOSPI falling below 5,300."
In a party support survey of 1,006 people aged 18 or older nationwide on the 26th and 27th, the Democratic Party of Korea recorded 51.1% and the People Power Party 30.6%. The Democratic Party fell 1.9 percentage points from the previous survey, while the People Power Party rose 2.5 percentage points, rebounding for the first time in four weeks. The gap between the two parties narrowed from 24.9 percentage points last week to 20.5 percentage points.
Realmeter explained, "Due to external economic variables such as a surge in the exchange rate, inflation pressure, and a sharp stock market drop, economic anxiety spread, and a sense of accountability and correction toward the ruling party appears to have taken hold."
Regarding the People Power Party, it interpreted, "Despite severe nomination infighting, a partial rebound effect emerged from the recent cumulative decline in support, and combined with a desire to check the ruling party amid economic uncertainty, support rose."
Support for the Reform Party was tallied at 2.7%, followed by the Rebuilding Korea Party (1.6%) and The Progressive Party (1.5%). The unaffiliated bloc was 10.2%.
Both surveys were conducted using automated wireless responses.
For the presidential job approval survey, the margin of sampling error was ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 5.1%. For the party support survey, the margin of sampling error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 3.9%. For more details, see the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.