As Lee Jae-myung's approval rating fell into the 30% range for the first time since taking office, the Blue House on the 26th said it "intends to put people's livelihoods and the economy first, closely examine overall state affairs so that the public's lives improve and they can feel the changes, and do our best to achieve tangible results."
This is the first time the Blue House has issued an official position on a poll result. With the president's approval rating plunging in various recent surveys, it appears to be moving to calm public sentiment.
That day, JoWon C&I released results of a survey conducted for Straight News over three days on the 22nd-24th of this month among 2,001 men and women nationwide aged 18 and older, showing that 38.9% rated the president's job performance positively and 57.9% negatively. Don't know was 3.2%.
The president's approval rating has fallen sharply in recent days.
In a poll released on the 25th by Media Tomato (commissioned by Newstomato), the president's approval rating was 40.0%. That was down 4.2 percentage points from 44.2% two weeks earlier.
Earlier, on the 24th, Realmeter released poll results showing the president's job approval had declined for six straight weeks to a new low. The president's approval has fallen steadily since recording 48.9% in the second week of July.
The biggest reason cited for the decline is the real estate tax system.
Han Min-su, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on an SBS radio program on the 25th and said, "The biggest reason seems to be real estate," adding, "We believe people's lives are that tough right now."
He went on, "It seems the public is telling us a lot that 'livelihoods are difficult.' There is also the issue of high oil prices caused by the U.S.-Iran war," and analyzed, "These things are affecting the approval ratings of the president and the party."