SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - About six out of every ten South Koreans believe that President Lee Jae-myung, inaugurated last week, will do a good job in the office, according to a new survey released on Jun. 9. The South Koreans also selected as the economic recovery as the country’s top priority among a list of challenges which the Lee administration must tackle.
The survey, commissioned by Energy Economic News, was conducted by pollster Realmeter on Jun. 4 and 5, asking 1,012 adults nationwide about their expectations for the new president. 58.2 percent had said that Lee is likely to perform well, while 35.5 percent said he will not.
In the June 3 election, Lee won the presidency with 49.42 percent of the vote, defeating conservative rival Kim Moon-soo, who garnered 41.15 percent of the vote. The latest Realmeter survey suggests that public expectations align similarly with Lee’s actual electoral support, indicating a stable political footing as he begins his term.
The pollster analyzed that while the numbers are largely positive, they are lower than early-term ratings for Lee’s predecessors. Former President Lee Myung-bak had a 79.3 percent approval rating at the start of his term, followed by Moon Jae-in at 74.8 percent, Park Geun-hye at 64.4 percent, and Yoon Suk Yeol at 52.7 percent. President Lee’s figure is 5.5 percentage points higher than Yoon’s but trails well behind others.
Regionally, Lee’s support was strongest in Gwangju and the Jeolla region at 85.3 percent. His lowest rating came from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea’s conservative stronghold, where 39.6 percent said he would perform well. In the capital area, approval was 57.6 percent in Seoul and 59.9 percent in Gyeonggi and Incheon.
Support also varied by age. The most optimistic group was those in their 40s, with 76.6 percent expecting him to do well. They were followed by people in their 50s (70.0 percent), 30s (57.1 percent), 60s (50.9 percent), and those aged 70 or older (48.9 percent).
Meanwhile, people in their 20s showed the lowest optimistic expectations for the new president. Only 41.3 percent expressed confidence in the new president.
When asked what Lee should prioritize, 41.5 percent pointed to economic recovery and stabilizing daily life. Prosecution and judicial reform came next at 20.4 percent, followed by national unity and easing social divisions (12.8 percent), political reform and bipartisan cooperation (8.3 percent), and measures to tackle low birth rates and an aging society (4.6 percent).
Realmeter said the results show that recent economic instability, including rising prices, slow growth, and broader uncertainty, is weighing heavily on the public. The strong focus on justice reform and national unity also reflects accumulated frustration with political investigations, deepening social rifts, and weakened trust in the system.
The survey was conducted using automated phone interviews (100 percent wireless). It has a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 8.0 percent. Full details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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