Lee's approval rating inches up to 59.7 pct

SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rebounded slightly to 59.7 percent on a strong stock rally and economic achievements, a survey showed Monday. According to the survey conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by EKN newspaper among 2,007 respondents aged 18 and older, the positive assessment of his job performance gained 0.2 percentage point from a week earlier. Negative assessments added 0.7 percentage point to 35.7 percent over the cited period, while 4.6 percent said they were unsure. Lee's approval rating had remained above 60 percent for seven consecutive weeks since the second week of March before slipping to 59.5 percent in the previous survey. Realmeter said economic achievements, such as the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index surpassing the 7,500 mark and the current account surplus reaching a record high, helped drive up Lee's approval rating, but political issues, including the National Assembly's failure to pass a constitutional amendment bill amid a standoff between the rival parties, offset positive sentiment. The ruling Democratic Party's (DP) push to put a constitutional change to a national vote in the June 3 local elections fell through last week amid opposition from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. In a separate survey conducted by the same pollster, support for the DP rose 0.1 percentage point from a week earlier to 48.7 percent, extending its lead over the PPP, whose approval rating fell 0.7 percentage point to 30.9 percent. The poll, conducted on 1,006 individuals aged 18 and over on Thursday and Friday, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, with a confidence level of 95 percent. President Lee Jae Myung addresses a ceremony to mark the 54th Parents' Day at the headquarters of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul on May 8, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) julesyi@yna.co.kr(END)