President Lee's approval rating at 58%; Democratic Party leads polls

President Lee Jae-myung's job performance rating remains strong, with 58% of respondents approving of his national administration, according to a recent public opinion survey. This figure shows a slight increase from the 57% recorded three weeks prior, indicating continued public confidence in his leadership.

The survey, conducted by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research from June 29 to July 1, also revealed the political landscape. The ruling Democratic Party holds a significant lead with 42% support, a marginal increase from the previous poll. In contrast, the main opposition People Power Party's support has dipped to 20%, widening the gap between the two major parties to 22 percentage points.

President Lee's administration received positive assessments across several key policy areas. Public approval for national safety policies, including disaster and emergency preparedness, reached 61%. Balanced regional development policies garnered 55% approval, followed by pension policies (53%) and education policies (50%). Labor policies, aimed at improving labor-management relations and restructuring the labor market, received slightly lower, though still substantial, positive ratings at 48%.

The positive evaluations for the government's direction were particularly strong among progressive and centrist demographics. However, it is noteworthy that labor policy was the only area where the centrist group's approval rating fell below 50%. Other parties, including the Reform Party and Cho Kuk Innovation Party, registered lower support levels, with 2% each.