Lee's approval rating dips to lowest point since inauguration

President Lee Jae Myung's approval ratings dropped to 51.1 percent, signaling concerns regarding governance and bipartisan relations.

The Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, left, ignores PPP interim leader Song Eon-seog at the memorial ceremony for former president Kim Dae-jung at the Memorial Hall at Seoul National Cemetery on Aug. 18. [KIM JONG-HO]

Barely two months into office, a warning light has come on for President Lee Jae Myung’s approval ratings. In a poll released Monday by Realmeter, Lee’s job approval fell to 51.1 percent, the lowest since his inauguration. That is a 12.2 percentage point drop in just two weeks. Such a steep decline in a short span signals serious problems in state affairs. What makes the situation more concerning is that this downturn has come during the early stage of his presidency, a period when maintaining high approval ratings is typically easier. For reference, former President Moon Jae-in — who also took power following the impeachment of a conservative government — was able to keep his ratings steady at around 70 percent for nearly a year after his inauguration.

The immediate trigger for Lee’s falling numbers was the special pardon granted to Cho Kuk, former leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, as well as the one given to former lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang. Scandals involving the Democratic Party (DP) also likely eroded support: Lee Choon-suak’s alleged proxy stock dealings and the apparent abuse of power by Rep. Kang Sun-woo.

But the fundamental reason for the flashing warning light is, above all, the ruling party’s unilateral drive. On Aug. 2, DP leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae declared, upon taking office, that relations with the People Power Party (PPP) were “not a matter of ruling and opposition,” adding that he would not even shake hands with the rival party without first hearing “apologies and self-reflection.” Just days later, on Aug. 5, he rammed through the broadcasting act by breaking the PPP’s filibuster in the National Assembly. Starting this week, the DP is set to push ahead with other highly contentious bills — the two broadcasting laws, the “Yellow Envelope Act" and the second revision of the Commercial Act. The so-called prosecution reform and media reform bills are also slated for passage by the start of the Chuseok harvest festival. Each of these measures fundamentally shakes the system of governance, yet they are being forced through like a military operation without proper debate or review. Resistance and backlash are inevitable.

To Jung, the opposition party is a nonentity. He refused to shake hands with PPP interim leader Song Eon-seog at the Liberation Day ceremony on Friday and, again, on Monday, ignored Song when seated beside him at a memorial service for former president Kim Dae-jung. But how could such behavior possibly help the president’s approval ratings? What Korean voters despise most is the arrogance of the powerful flaunting their strength. No matter how large the ruling party’s majority, it must seek dialogue and compromise with the opposition. If it repeatedly exploits its numbers to railroad legislation, a backlash is bound to come. The Moon administration, too, ran into a major crisis after it began ramming bills through the 21st National Assembly on the back of its landslide victory in the 2020 general election.

Lee’s support base is made up of traditional DP backers as well as centrist voters who supported him mainly out of resentment toward the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. If the DP fails to practice a politics of inclusion, those centrist voters could abandon their support for the president at any moment. Current polls suggest that such signs are already emerging.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.