Yoon’s approval rating falls to record low, support for PPP dips below 30%

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating has hit a record low, according to the latest public opinion survey released by pollster Realmeter on Monday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and first lady Kim Keon Hee lay wreaths at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu to respects to fallen veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War on July 8. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating has hit a record low, according to the latest public opinion survey released by pollster Realmeter on Monday.

The survey showed that 25.8 percent of the 2,507 respondents over the age of 18 rated the president’s performance positively.

Yoon’s approval rating is 4.5 percent lower than last week. It is also 1.2 percent lower than the previous record low since Yoon took office, which was 27 percent.

The percentage of people who told the pollster they disapproved of Yoon’s job performance rose from 66.2 percent the previous week to 70.8 percent, marking the highest disapproval rate since Yoon took office.

Approval of the president’s job performance fell across all age groups except for those in their 30s, according to the survey.

Regionally, approval of the president’s performance dropped in Seoul, Busan, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang, Daejeon, Sejong, Chungcheong, Incheon and the Gyeonggi region, but rose in Daegu and North Gyeongsang.

In its analysis, Realmeter said the dip in the president’s approval rating was likely due to several factors, including the dispute between Yoon and conservative People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, Yoon’s unproductive meeting with the PPP and allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee of interfering in the election nomination process.

“As challenges are expected in pursuing a mid- to long-term policy vision that requires large-scale financial resources, the administration's ability to manage issues affecting people's livelihoods may also be limited,” Realmeter said in its analysis.

The survey, conducted from Sept. 23 to 27, had a confidence interval of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

A separate Realmeter survey conducted during the same period with the same respondents found that 29.9 percent supported the PPP, which is aligned with the Yoon administration, while 43.2 percent expressed support for the Democratic Party (DP).

Support for the PPP fell by 5.3 percentage points compared to the previous week’s results, while support for the DP rose by 4.0 percentage points.

This is the first time the PPP’s approval rating has fallen below 30 percent during this administration.

Another 9.2 percent of respondents said they supported the Rebuilding Korea Party, led by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk — an outspoken critic of the Yoon administration — while 4.3 percent said they supported the Reform Party, led by former PPP leader Lee Jun-seok.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]