Overview
- A Realmeter survey conducted Aug. 24–28 showed President Lee Jae Myung’s approval at 38.9 percent and his disapproval at 58.7 percent, producing a 19.8-point gap outside the poll’s margin of error.
- Pollsters point to growing unhappiness with housing affordability as the main driver of the slide, with sharper falls in support among voters in their 40s, 50s and older and regionally in Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong.
- Tension with the Supreme Court rose after the presidential office declined to nominate one of two justices recommended by Chief Justice Jo, a dispute that has widened institutional friction over judicial appointments.
- Public trust in police has weakened after reports that Jeju police closed missing-person cases improperly, and those policing controversies have fed broader concerns about the administration’s prosecutorial and police reforms.
- Political reactions include new Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok pledging party support for the administration and President Lee’s reshuffle of six cabinet posts designed to refocus policy on livelihoods, but approval remains well below his first-year highs.