Backlash erodes support at home, but high-profile talks with Japan and the US could give Lee a foreign policy boost

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating dropped to 51.1% last week, the lowest since his inauguration, according to a Realmeter poll released Monday. The figure marks a 5.4 percentage point decline from the previous week, while disapproval rose 6.3 points to 44.5%. The survey of 2,003 adults was conducted Aug. 11-14 and has a margin of error of ±2.2 percentage points.

Support for Lee fell sharply in key regions, including Incheon and Gyeonggi, down 11 points, and in his party’s Honam stronghold, down 5.2 points. By age, approval plunged 9.1 points among voters in their 20s and 7.0 points among those in their 40s. Party support also shifted: the ruling Democratic Party (DP) slid 8.5 points to 39.9%, while the main opposition People Power Party gained 6.4 points to 36.7%, narrowing the gap to within the margin of error.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating dropped to 51.1% last week, the lowest since his inauguration, according to a Realmeter poll released Monday. The figure marks a 5.4 percentage point decline from the previous week, while disapproval rose 6.3 points to 44.5%. The survey of 2,003 adults was conducted Aug. 11-14 and has a margin of error of ±2.2 percentage points.

Support for Lee fell sharply in key regions, including Incheon and Gyeonggi, down 11 points, and in his party’s Honam stronghold, down 5.2 points. By age, approval plunged 9.1 points among voters in their 20s and 7.0 points among those in their 40s. Party support also shifted: the ruling Democratic Party (DP) slid 8.5 points to 39.9%, while the main opposition People Power Party gained 6.4 points to 36.7%, narrowing the gap to within the margin of error.

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