Yoon’s approval rating stays below 30% for 4th straight week

SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating stayed below 30 per cent for the fourth consecutive week, a poll revealed on Friday.

In the poll of 1,000 voters conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, 28 per cent positively assessed Yoon's handling of state affairs, up 3 percentage points from the previous week, while 64 per cent gave a negative assessment, down 2 percentage points, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Yoon's rating is the second lowest of the ratings of all South Korean presidents logged around their 100th day in office, following that of conservative former President Lee Myung-bak, according to the pollster.

As reasons for disapproval, personnel appointments were cited the most at 26 per cent, followed by incompetence and lack of experience and qualifications at 11 per cent and poor communication at 7 per cent.

On the assessment of government policies, education received the lowest support of 11 per cent, apparently due to the government's widely unpopular proposal to lower the elementary starting age by one year to 5.

The negative assessment was also higher in other policy areas, with personnel appointments favourably viewed by only 16 per cent of respondents, economic policies by 24 per cent, social welfare by 27 per cent, diplomacy by 29 per cent, real estate by 30 per cent and North Korean policies by 34 per cent.

The poll also showed that 36 percent supported the ruling People Power Party, while 34 per cent supported the main opposition Democratic Party.