president-approval rating

▲ President Lee Jae Myung attends a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron following their talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Sept. 8, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating fell to the lowest level since he took office in June last year, a poll showed Thursday.

In a National Barometer Survey of 1,002 people aged 18 and older conducted Monday to Wednesday, 43 percent positively assessed Lee's handling of state affairs, down 7 percentage points from the previous survey conducted two weeks earlier.

Disapproval of his performance stood at 48 percent, marking the first time it has surpassed his approval rating in the biweekly survey.

On the recent Cabinet reshuffle, 47 percent negatively assessed the nomination of Rep. Kim Seung-won as justice minister, compared with 24 percent who viewed it positively.

For the gender equality minister nominee, 63 percent said Lee's pick of Rep. Yong Hye-in was a poor choice, while 17 percent supported his decision.

Following their nominations late last month, the two nominees have come under fire over separate controversies, with Kim accused of illegally lobbying for a COVID-19 treatment in 2021 and Yong for refusing to give up her proportional representation seat in the National Assembly.

On the possible deployment of South Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz, 45 percent of the respondents opposed the move, while 36 percent supported it.

Support for the ruling Democratic Party stood at 39 percent, down 2 percentage points from the previous survey, while the main opposition People Power Party saw its rating increase 5 percentage points to 25 percent.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

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