Yoon’s approval rating falls below 30 pct: poll

President Yoon Suk-yeol’s approval rating fell below 30 percent, a poll showed Friday, amid public criticism over his handling of diplomatic affairs in his ongoing three-nation trip.

In the poll of 1,000 adults conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, 28 percent positively assessed Yoon’s job performance, down 5 percentage points from the previous week.

Yoon’s disapproval rating jumped by 2 percentage points to 61 percent.

Yoon’s approval rating slid below 30 percent just a week after it went back up above the threshold following a six-week streak in the 20 percent range in Gallup polls.

According to the pollster, many respondents cited the government’s scrapping of a plan to build a new state guest house late last week and Yoon’s handling of summit diplomacy, such as the cancellation of book-signing before the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, as reasons for disapproval.

Yoon is on a trip to Britain, the United States and Canada this week.

The trip, however, has sparked public criticism after Yoon was caught on video apparently using foul language. Though the recording was not clear, many thought Yoon was talking about U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden, but his office rejected the claim, saying Yoon was referring to the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

“President Yoon went on an overseas trip twice since taking office and they have not become a plus for his approval rating,” the pollster said, noting Yoon’s approval rating also fell 6 percentage points in a poll conducted after he attended a NATO summit in Spain in June.

In terms of party favorability, Yoon’s People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party were tied at 34 percent.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.