Yoon's approval rating hits historic low following long-awaited press conference

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a press conference marking two years since the beginning of his term at the Yongsan presidential office on Thursday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Just 24 percent of people said they approved of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s performance in a survey released on Friday, the day after the president held a press conference to mark the second anniversary of his taking office.

The president’s approval rating is the lowest out of any elected president at the two-year mark since the country became a democracy in 1987.

The survey, which was conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, polled 1,000 respondents over the age of 18. It had a confidence interval of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Those who expressed disapproval of Yoon’s performance made up 67 percent of respondents.

“The state of the economy” was cited by 19 percent of respondents as their primary reason for disapproving of Yoon’s performance, followed by “poor communication” at 15 percent and “lack of consultation” at 7 percent.

However, the president’s People Power Party (PPP) fared better in the same survey, receiving support from 34 percent of respondents, while the liberal Democratic Party (DP) recorded 30 percent.

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s Rebuilding Korea Party, which is opposed to the Yoon administration, received support from 11 percent of respondents, while the minor conservative Reform Party recorded 4 percent.

Just under a quarter of respondents said they saw DP leader Lee Jae-myung as the next leader in Korean politics, while 17 percent said the same for former PPP interim leader Han Dong-hoon.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]