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Source: Yonhap / Graphic: Reporter Park Jong-gyu

An opinion poll released on the 12th showed President Lee Jae-myung's job approval rating dropping for the second consecutive week to 35.2%. In party approval ratings, the People Power Party rose while the Democratic Party saw a significant drop, allowing the People Power Party to retake the lead over the Democratic Party after one week.

According to the survey conducted by Realmeter on October 6–8 among 1,504 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide, commissioned by the Asia Business Daily, positive assessments of President Lee's state administration stood at 35.2%, down 2.2 percentage points from the previous week.

Negative assessments over the same period climbed 1.6 percentage points to 61.4%. The "don't know" response accounted for 3.4%.

By region, Daejeon, Sejong, and the Chungcheong provinces recorded the steepest decline, with positive evaluations dropping 8.7 percentage points from the prior week to 33.7%. Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province also slipped 4.7 percentage points to 30.4%.

By age group, approval ratings dropped 7.6 percentage points to 31.7% among those in their 70s and older, and declined 5.1 percentage points to 37.3% among those in their 40s.

Realmeter analyzed that "controversies surrounding judicial independence concerning Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, political clashes over national security following the DMZ landmine explosion, and rising apartment prices and jeonse-monthly rent rates in the Seoul metropolitan area became prominent issues during the parliamentary audit, exerting downward pressure on the approval ratings."

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President Lee Jae-myung delivers a commemorative address during the 20th World Korean Day ceremony held in Songdo, Incheon, on the 28th. / Yonhap News

Significant shifts were also observed in party support ratings. In a survey conducted on October 7–8 among 1,004 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide, the People Power Party recorded 41.3%, while the Democratic Party stood at 35.5%.

The People Power Party rose 2.9 percentage points from the previous week, whereas the Democratic Party fell 7.0 percentage points. Consequently, the People Power Party led the Democratic Party by 5.8 percentage points, reversing the rankings after just one week.

Realmeter stated, "The Democratic Party's drop in approval ratings was driven by a combination of clashes in the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee over Chief Justice Cho and controversies over pursuing his impeachment, frictions with the Rebuilding Korea Party regarding the reorganization of investigative powers, and real estate market instability across the Seoul metropolitan area."

Conversely, the People Power Party was analyzed to have benefited from public criticism directed at the ruling bloc by intensifying its offensive against the administration during the early stages of the parliamentary audit, leveraging national security issues such as the DMZ landmine explosion alongside disputes over adopting testimony from and impeaching Chief Justice Cho.

Both polls were conducted entirely via automated wireless telephone surveys (ARS). The survey on presidential job performance had a response rate of 2.8% and a margin of error of ±2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The party support survey recorded a response rate of 2.6% with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Detailed information can be found on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.

                                                                                                         Park Young-hoon