South Korean president’s approval rating falls to record low

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating has fallen for a fourth consecutive week, reaching its lowest level since he took office, according to a poll released Monday.

Lee’s approval stood at 43.3%, down 2.6 percentage points from the previous week, while 53% disapproved of his performance, the Korea Herald reported, citing a survey conducted by Realmeter.

The poll of 2,514 voters, conducted from Aug. 3-7, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The decline was steepest in Seoul, where Lee’s approval dropped 5.9 percentage points. It also fell 5.5 points in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province and 4.8 points in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.

Support declined particularly among older voters, falling 5.6 points among those aged 70 and above and 5.3 points among people in their 60s.

Realmeter attributed the slide partly to defections among Seoul residents, conservatives and older voters amid controversies over real estate tax changes, amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, economic uncertainty and a prolonged heat wave.

A separate Realmeter survey showed that Lee’s ruling Democratic Party remained ahead with 44.6% support compared with 37.6% for the main opposition People Power Party.