S. Korean President Yoon’s approval rating rises for 2nd wk: Poll

President Yoon [Source : Photojournalists to the Office of the President]

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s approval rating has risen for the second week in a row since it recovered above 40 percent for the first time in 24 weeks in the third week of December, a poll showed Monday.

The poll was conducted on 2,518 adults aged 18 or older nationwide between Dec. 19-23 by pollster Realmeter commissioned by Media Tribune.

Positive assessment of Yoon’s performance gained by 0.1 percentage point to 41.2 percent from a survey in the previous week, while negative assessment fell by 0.2 percentage point to 56.6 percent in the same period.

President Yoon’s approval rating managed to inch up after recovering above the 40 percent threshold for the first time in 24 weeks in a previous poll conducted in the third week of this month.

The approval rating fell to the 30 percent range for the first time in the first week of July and had hovered in the low 30 percent range before the third week of November.

In the latest survey, positive assessment rose mainly in Incheon and Gyeonggi (up 3.4 percentage points), and people in their 50s (4.4 percentage points) and 60s (3.0 percentage points), while negative assessment increased in Seoul (up 3.2 percentage points), Daegu and Gyeongbuk (3.1 percentage points), and people in their 20s (3.5 percentage points), and Justice Party supporters (3.7 percentage points).

On the favorability rating of political parties, the main opposition Democratic Party garnered 42.9 percent support, down 0.8 percentage point from the previous poll, while Yoon’s People Power Party posted 41.0 percent, down 0.4 percentage point from the earlier survey.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.