Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating remained unchanged at 69 percent, maintaining the highest level recorded in the previous survey, a poll revealed Thursday. This consistent approval rating highlights sustained public support as recorded by the National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted over the span of three days, from Monday to Wednesday. The survey also indicated that the negative assessment of Lee remained steady at 22 percent, showing no change from the poll conducted two weeks earlier.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the previous survey had marked Lee's 69 percent approval rating as the highest level in NBS polls since his inauguration. Alongside the stable approval rating, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) experienced a slight increase in support, moving up by 1 percentage point to 47 percent. Meanwhile, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) maintained its backing at 18 percent.

Regarding the forthcoming June 3 local elections, a majority of 54 percent of respondents expressed that voters should support the DP for the sake of stability. In contrast, 30 percent believed that backing the opposition was essential to keep the government in check. The survey further revealed that 61 percent of participants were in favor of holding a referendum to revise the Constitution concurrently with the local elections, while 23 percent opposed the idea.

Last week, in a significant legislative move, lawmakers from the DP and five minor parties jointly proposed a bill aimed at amending the Constitution. The proposed changes seek to tighten the requirements for declaring martial law and to incorporate the spirit of past pro-democracy movements, despite facing opposition from the PPP.

The survey was conducted by pollsters Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research, encompassing a sample size of 1,000 individuals aged 18 and older. The poll's margin of error stands at plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, with a 95 percent confidence level.