President Yoon sees first approval rating drop in 4 weeks

President Yoon Suk Yeol answers questions at a joint press conference held at Camp David, a U.S. presidential villa near Washington, D.C. on Aug. 18 (local). [Photo by Yonhap]

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating has experienced a decline to the mid-30 percent range, marking a halt to the upward trend observed over the past four weeks.

Conducted by Realmeter, the survey spanned four days from Aug. 14 and Aug. 16 to 18, targeting 2,016 individuals aged 18 and above across the nation. The positive assessment fell 2.7 percentage points from the previous week to 35.6 percent.

Notably, the survey did not account for the results of the trilateral summit meeting between South Korea, the United States, and Japan, which took place on Aug. 19 in the early hours of Korean time. Realmeter clarified that the summit outcomes were not incorporated due to the timing of the survey period.

The positive assessment had initially encountered a decline after reaching 42.0 percent in the fifth week of June. However, it rebounded in the fourth week of July, showcasing three consecutive weeks of ascension.

The disapproval rating rose by 2.2 percentage points from the previous survey to 61.2 percent. This marks the first time in 14 weeks that the negative assessment has crossed into the 60 percent range, since it was at 60.8 percent during the second week of May.