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President Lee Jae-myung enters the Ulchi Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on August 18. / Source: Yonhap News

The Democratic Party (DP) rejected claims that President Lee Jae-myung’s declining approval ratings were caused by his Liberation Day pardons, calling the downturn a temporary phenomenon.

DP spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said at a press briefing on August 18 that it was “difficult to conclude that the pardons of Cho Kuk, former leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, and former DP lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang directly caused the dip in support.”

“It should not be viewed in such a simplistic way. Multiple factors are at play,” Boo said, adding, “The pardons of Cho and Yoon may have been a variable, but it is not accurate to say they solely led to a drop in approval ratings.”

Regarding poll results showing sharp declines in the Honam region, Boo noted, “We see it as partly due to the People Power Party’s convention and debates drawing attention. This is a temporary phenomenon that we expect will recover soon.”

A Realmeter poll conducted from August 11 to 14 of 2,003 voters nationwide showed 51.1 percent positively evaluating Lee’s performance, the lowest since he took office. Negative evaluations rose 6.3 percentage points from the previous week to 44.5 percent.

Realmeter cited disappointment over the Liberation Day pardons, controversy over stock transfer taxes, and political fallout from the simultaneous detention of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee as key factors. It also noted that the DP’s focus on its hardline base may have accelerated the defection of moderates.

The poll, conducted via automated mobile responses, had a margin of error of ±2.2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 5.2 percent. Further details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.