Yoon's approval rating rebounds from record low after trip to Czech Republic

President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) leaves Vaclav Havel Airport Prague to board Air Force One on Saturday, after wrapping up his official visit to the Czech Republic. (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rebounded following his trip to the Czech Republic to clear hurdles before finalizing a 24 trillion won ($18 billion) nuclear export contract, a poll showed Friday.

According to Gallup Korea's poll, Yoon's job approval rating during the period between Tuesday and Thursday came to 23 percent, up 3 percentage points from the previous poll unveiled on Sept. 13. The figure in the previous poll hit the lowest point since Yoon's inauguration in May 2022. The pollster skipped a poll in the third week of September due to the Chuseok holiday.

Yoon's diplomatic efforts were cited as one of the major reasons behind the rebound, along with Yoon's push to increase the medical school admission quota in South Korea and the prospective nuclear export deal, according to Gallup Korea's poll based on telephone interviews of some 1,000 respondents.

"Yoon's approval rating has remained stagnant in the low-to-mid 20 percent range since the defeat in the April general election," Gallup Korea said in a release.

"Yoon's approval rating recorded an all-time low two weeks before but it managed to rebound, as people in their 70s saw a drastic change (in their opinion) presumably with Yoon's visit to the Czech Republic and the ongoing talks over the nuclear export deals."

Those disapproved of Yoon fell 2 percentage points to 68 percent, according to the same poll.

Two weeks before, poll results showed that Yoon suffered a stunningly low approval rating due to medical staff shortages that stemmed from the government's decision to increase the medical school quota and the following massive walkout of doctors.

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)