- California Assembly OKs highest minimum wage in nation
- S. Korea unveils first graphic cigarette warnings
- US joins with South Korea, Japan in bid to deter North Korea
- LPGA golfer Chun In-gee finally back in action
- S. Korea won’t be top seed in final World Cup qualification round
- US men’s soccer misses 2nd straight Olympics
- US back on track in qualifying with 4-0 win over Guatemala
- High-intensity workout injuries spawn cottage industry
- CDC expands range of Zika mosquitoes into parts of Northeast
- Who knew? ‘The Walking Dead’ is helping families connect
Yoon’s approval rating hits new low since taking office
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating slid to 19 percent, marking its lowest level since he took office in May 2022, a poll showed Friday.
The survey, conducted by the polling agency Gallup Korea, showed that the positive assessment of Yoon’s performance fell 1 percentage point from the previous week, while his negative assessment reached an all-time high of 72 percent, up 2 percent from a week earlier.
This marks the first time Yoon’s approval ratings fell below the 20 percent mark in Gallup surveys.
Yoon’s handling of allegations surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee, the economy and a lack of communication were cited as reasons for the negative assessment.
The first lady has been accused of alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, the receipt of a luxury bag and alleged interference in the candidate nominations of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) ahead of the April general elections.
The polling agency said the release of an audio recording earlier this week reportedly between Yoon and Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed political broker, will likely be reflected in upcoming surveys.
On Thursday, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) played a recording of what it said was a phone call in which Yoon told Myung that he had recommended the ruling party nominate now former lawmaker Kim Young-sun to run in the by-election in the Changwon and Uichang district of South Gyeongsang Province.
The recording marks the latest revelation in a growing scandal centering on allegations that Yoon and the first lady conferred with Myung to interfere with the ruling party’s candidate nominations ahead of multiple elections.
In response to the poll results, presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk vowed to “redouble efforts to address any shortcomings.”
“I know there is much to work on and I apologize as someone who serves closely to the president,” Chung said during a parliamentary audit session of the House Steering Committee.
In the same survey, the approval ratings of the PPP and the DP both came to 32 percent.
The poll was conducted on 1,005 adults from Tuesday to Thursday and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.