In its survey of more than 2,500 adults nationwide conducted last week, 45.9 percent of respondents said Lee was doing a good job. The figure was down 0.4 percentage point from the previous week, marking the third straight week of decline.
Slightly more respondents or 50.5 percent disapproved of his performance, with the figure rising above the 50 percent mark for the first time since he took office in June last year.
Some 3.5 percent remained undecided.
Realmeter attributed the decline to a combination of factors including economic uncertainty amid stock market volatility partly caused by fallout from single-stock leveraged exchange traded funds (ETFs) and controversies over real estate tax policies, despite some positive outcomes from Lee's South American tour last week.
In addition, the passage of a bill stripping prosecutors of their investigative powers last Friday, as well as broader discussions over a potential constitutional amendment that would allow him to seek presidential re-election, also contributed to the continued decline in his approval rating.
Meanwhile, in a separate survey of about 1,000 adults conducted last Thursday and Friday, 45.1 percent supported the ruling Democratic Party (DP), up 3.8 percentage points from the previous week, while 37.7 percent supported the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), down 2.9 percentage points.
Among minor partis, the centrist Reform Party garnered 2.4 percent, followed by the liberal Rebuilding Korea Party at 2 percent and the left-wing Progressive Party at 0.9 percent.
Some 9.5 percent supported none of the parties.
The survey was conducted through computer-assisted telephone interviews using randomly generated mobile phone numbers. More details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
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