President Yoon’s approval ratings slump to 32%

President Yoon Suk-yeol’s approval rating fell to 32 percent at a time he has spent more than two months since his inauguration. His approval rating has declined 5 percentage points since a week ago. The presidential office has increasingly concerned about continuous decline of his approval rating, which represents the momentum for his leadership in state administration, during the early days of his government.

According to the result of a poll on his approval rating for the second week of this month released on Friday, respondents who replied ‘Yoon is doing well in state administration’ came to 32 percent, down 5 percentage points from the previous week. In contrast, those who replied ‘Yoon is doing bad’ gained 4 percentage points to hit 53 percent. Thus, his approval rating has declined for five consecutive weeks from 53 percent in the second week of June. It is also the first time that negative views on his administration have exceeded the 50 percent mark.

“The trend was characterized by the fact most of the respondents, including senior citizens, supporters of the ruling People Power Party, and conservative voters who were previously favorable to President Yoon, have seen their approval of the president start to decline and their disapproval continue to increase from last week to this week,” Gallup Korea said. In fact, President Yoon’s approval among people aged 60 and older, who were dominantly supportive of Yoon on the March 9 presidential election, came to 39 percent, while his disapproval among this group stood at 49 percent. By region, only Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province saw Yoon’s approval rating stand at 53 percent, while the other regions saw his approval rating fall to the 30 – 40 percent level or lower. The biggest reason for the public’s disapproval of President Yoon cited by respondents was problems with staffing of his administration (26 percent), which was followed by his incompetence and lack of experience (11 percent), and failure to take care of the economy and people’s livelihood (10 percent).

As for the approval of political parties, the ruling People Power Party came in first with 38 percent, followed by the main opposition Democratic Party with 33 percent, independents with 23 percent, and the Justice Party with 5 percent. The People Power Party’s approval rating fell 3 percentage points from the previous week, while the Democratic Party’s rating gained 3 percentage points.

The ruling party is increasingly concerned about the rapid decline of Yoon’s approval ratings, which is the barometer for his leadership in state administration. However, an official at the presidential office said, “We will not have joy and sorrow at quick alternation. We are paying close attention to public opinions and people’s voice.”

“As we carry out tasks, we are not necessarily mindful of how taking care of people’s livelihood and macroeconomic policy will be reflected int the President’s approval rating,” the official also said. “Paying attention to public opinion and people’s voice is an obligation of the president, the presidential office, and the government.”


Kwan-Seok Jang jks@donga.com