Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung's disapproval rating has exceeded his approval rating for the first time since he took office, a survey revealed Friday, amidst rising criticism over his real estate policies.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a survey conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday involving 1,000 participants aged 18 and older, showed that 44 percent positively assessed President Lee's management of state affairs, marking a 7 percentage point decline from the previous survey released on July 24. Meanwhile, the negative assessment increased by 8 percentage points to 46 percent, overtaking the positive assessment for the first time in a Gallup poll since Lee's inauguration in June 2025.
Recent surveys by Realmeter and the National Barometer Survey have also indicated a decline in his approval rating to the lowest levels since his inauguration. In the Gallup poll, 19 percent of respondents cited diplomacy as the reason for their positive evaluation, followed by the economy and people's livelihoods at 15 percent, and overall performance at 8 percent.
Among those disapproving of his performance, 30 percent highlighted his real estate policies as a concern, followed by economic issues and people's livelihoods at 13 percent, and overall performance at 7 percent. Additionally, 5 percent of respondents mentioned his "authoritarian" leadership style and the government's recent move to reduce prosecutorial powers.
The decline in approval comes amid rising concerns over the government's recent property tax revisions, which would increase the tax burden on owners of high-end homes and non-resident property owners. On Thursday, the government announced a comprehensive housing plan aimed at providing over 230,000 additional homes in the Seoul metropolitan area. Critics, however, remain skeptical about the plan's effectiveness in addressing the housing shortage.
The same Gallup survey indicated a drop in the ruling Democratic Party's approval rating by 3 percentage points to 41 percent, while the main opposition People Power Party saw a rise of 2 percentage points to 25 percent. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.