Moon’s approval rating slips to 6-month low

President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating slipped to a six-month low of 34.2 percent, hit hard by the snowballing development scandal involving Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, a recent poll found Monday.

According to Realmeter, his approval rating in the first week of November was 34.2 percent, down 4.5 percent from the previous week, while his disapproval rating increased 5.3 percent to 62.9 percent during the same period.

The approval rating is the lowest in six months since the figure hit a lowest point of 33 percent in the fourth week of April. The gap between approval and disapproval ratings also widened to 28.7 percent.

Approval for the president fell across all genders, ages and regional groups. His falling popularity was more apparent among key supporting groups, including people in their 40s and those who live in Gwangju and Jeolla Province.

“While Moon’s European trip last week had limited impact in elevating the approval rating, suspicions about Lee Jae-myung’s alleged involvement in the development scandal that has not yet been eased may have affected supporters more,” Bae Cheol-ho, a Realmeter official said.

Moon returned home Friday from a nine-day European trip, during which he attended the G-20 gathering in Rome and the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, and made a state visit to Hungary to hold summit talks with leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, the so-called Visegrad Group.

Despite the recent falls, a 30-something percent approval rating is considered a high figure for a Korean president in his final year. If Moon continues to maintain the figure, it would be the highest-ever approval rating for a president on their way out. His single five-year term is set to finish in May.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)