President Lee Jae-myung’s job approval rating was recorded at 38.9% in a Realmeter poll. The survey was conducted from August 24 to 28 among 2,509 voters aged 18 and older nationwide. The approval rating fell 1.3 percentage points from the previous poll, marking seven consecutive weeks of decline as reported.

The disapproval rating rose 1.8 percentage points from the previous poll to 58.7%. The gap between approval and disapproval was 19.8 percentage points.

The key change identified in the Realmeter poll was the simultaneous decline in approval and rise in disapproval.

Polling Flower’s CATI Survey Shows a 0.5-Percentage-Point Gap

Polling Flower’s 174th weekly CATI survey was conducted from August 28 to 29 among 1,004 adults nationwide. The margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

In this survey, job approval stood at 49.5% and disapproval at 50.0%. Disapproval exceeded approval by 0.5 percentage points, producing a result in which the approval and disapproval ratings crossed over.

In the same survey, 42.6% said the ruling party should support the president’s administration, while 49.0% said the party should maintain its independence.

How Should the Two Poll Results Be Interpreted?

Realmeter and Polling Flower used different survey periods, samples, question wording, and methods. Therefore, their approval ratings cannot be combined as the same metric or ranked directly against each other.

The appropriate approach is to examine how approval and disapproval appeared within each organization’s own survey. In addition, the public sentiment on real estate, controversy over refusing to appoint Supreme Court justice nominees, distrust of the police, and internal conflict within the ruling bloc were presented by Realmeter as analytical factors. It cannot be independently confirmed that these factors were the direct causes of the decline in approval.

Sources and Verification Date

  • Edaily, ‘President Lee’s Approval Rating at 38.9%…First in the 30% Range Since Taking Office [Realmeter]’, accessed August 31, 2026: https://www1.edaily.co.kr/News/Read?mediaCodeNo=257&newsId=02187766645552896
  • KNS News Agency, ‘President Lee Jae-myung’s Approval Rating Falls into the 30% Range for the First Time Since Taking Office…Democratic Party “Rises,” People Power Party “Flat”’, accessed August 31, 2026: https://www.kns.tv/news/articleViewAmp.html?idxno=1015340
  • Digital Times, ‘Even Polling Flower’s Phone Interview Shows a “Dead Cross” in Lee’s Approval Rating…Party–Presidential Office Relations: 49% Favor “Ruling Party Independence”’, accessed August 31, 2026: https://v.daum.net/v/20260831131327933