South Korean President Lee Jae‑myung approval falls to 51%

President Lee Jae‑myung’s net approval dropped to 51%, the lowest level recorded since his inauguration, according to a Korean Gallup poll conducted June 23‑25 with 1,000 adult respondents. The rating fell 6 percentage points from two weeks earlier, while the share judging his performance as poor rose to 41%, marking the first time negative evaluations entered the 40% range.

Poll respondents cited the economy, high interest rates and living costs (15%) as the main reasons for their disapproval, followed by dissatisfaction with housing policy and concerns over election‑commission integrity (each 10%). The Democratic Party retained 41% support, the People Power Party 27%, with smaller parties below 5%.

Within the Democratic Party’s base, 45% favored Prime Minister Kim Min‑seok as the next party leader, ahead of former party chief Jeong Cheong‑rae (24%) and lawmaker Song Young‑gil (13%).