Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating dives to historic low of 23%

President Yoon Suk Yeol pays tribute at the April 19th National Cemetery in Gangbuk District, northern Seoul, on Friday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Less than a quarter of Koreans approved of President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to a Gallup Korea poll on Friday.

Yoon’s approval rating dipped to a historic low of 23 percent, dropping by 11 percentage points compared to the previous rating from the fourth week of March.

Gallup’s recent approval rating is 4 percentage points lower than that of the National Barometer Survey, which announced Thursday that Yoon’s approval rating landed at 27 percent in the third week of April.

Yoon’s disapproval rating came in at a record high of 68 percent, according to Gallup Korea.

The nationwide survey by Gallup Korea was conducted on 1,000 respondents aged over 18 from Tuesday through Thursday.

Notably, those who support the government-aligned People Power Party (PPP) and older adults answered favorably to Yoon.

Some 59 percent of PPP supporters and 47 percent of people aged 70 and older praised his performance as a president.

Young adults in their 30s and 40s and supporters of the liberal Democratic Party (DP) generally saw Yoon’s handling of state affairs as poor and unfulfilling.

By political inclination, 45 percent of conservatives viewed Yoon’s undertakings in a positive light, while 19 percent of moderates, or swing voters, did so. Only 7 percent of progressive voters viewed Yoon's work positively.

Yoon’s push to increase the medical school enrollment quota and his diplomacy are the most significant factors that drew a positive view of him as a president. His handling of the economy and peoples livelihood and his firm determination followed.

Those who viewed Yoon’s job performance negatively said that his management of the economy and people's livelihood and consumer prices and communication were lacking.

The DP was the most-favored political party, with 31 percent of the support. The PPP was close behind with 30 percent. Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s Rebuilding Korea Party received 14 percent, and the Reform Party launched by former PPP leader Lee Jun-seok saw 3 percent of support.

Swing voters supporting neither of the aforementioned parties stood at 18 percent.

DP leader Lee Jae-myung was identified as a clear frontrunner for a future political leader, with 24 percent support. Former PPP’s interim leader who orchestrated the party during the April 10 general election period, Han Dong-hoon, was in second place with 15 percent of support. Cho earned 7 percent support and Lee Jun-seok earned 3.

Won Hee-ryong, former land minister who recently lost the Gyeyang-B electoral district in Incheon to DP leader Lee, saw support of 2 percent. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon achieved 1 percent.

The poll had a response rate of 12.1 percent, with a confidence interval of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

BY CHO MOON-KYU, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]