Kim Ou-joon: "Lee Jae Myung’s Approval Rating Will Fall into the 20% Range Within a Month"; Chin Jung-kwon: "I Agree"

[Financial News] Broadcaster Kim Ou-joon predicted that President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating for his handling of state affairs could fall into the 20% range within a month. Chin Jung-kwon, a professor at Dongyang University with the opposite political orientation, said he "agreed" and urged the president to change course in governing.

On the 8th, Chin appeared on the YouTube channel Sisa Journal TV and referred to Kim’s prediction that President Lee’s approval rating could fall into the 20% range within a month. He warned, "If he continues with this attitude, that is bound to happen."
The previous day, Kim said on the YouTube channel Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory, regarding the downward trend in President Lee’s approval rating, "If this trend continues, there is a high possibility that the number in front will become a 2 within a month."
However, Chin said, "We differ in our diagnosis of the cause," interpreting Kim’s concern as a sense of disappointment that the ruling party’s core supporters had not received sufficient recognition. Chin, by contrast, argued, "From the public’s perspective, his approval rating is falling because President Lee is choosing to do only things that go against public sentiment."
Chin cited recent problems with real estate policy, controversy over personnel vetting, and legal issues as causes of the decline in President Lee’s approval rating.
He noted, "As statements and policy failures that seem to have lost touch with reality continue, there is no visible momentum capable of raising the approval rating again." He also pointed to controversies involving Kim Seung-won, the nominee for justice minister, and Yong Hye-in, the nominee for minister of gender equality and family, as factors that could drive the rating down further.

Chin also argued that President Lee’s legal risks were linked to the decline in his approval rating.
He said, "The administration’s governing stance has become, ‘I will save only myself’ and ‘I will never stand trial.’" He added, "We need to break away from this."
He continued, "The president should say, ‘I will stand trial just like every other citizen,’ ‘I will prove my innocence,’ and ‘Even if I fail to prove it and end up in prison, I will willingly go.’" He assessed, "He must uphold the law and find a political solution. Then he will become a president loved by the people."
Meanwhile, a Realmeter poll commissioned by Energy Economy Newspaper surveyed 2,510 people aged 18 or older nationwide from the 31st of last month to the 4th of this month. The results showed that 37.4% viewed President Lee’s performance positively, down 1.5 percentage points from the previous week. This was the lowest figure since his inauguration and marked the eighth consecutive week of decline.
The negative rating stood at 59.5%, up 0.8 percentage points from the previous week. It exceeded the positive rating beyond the margin of error for the sixth consecutive week. The share of respondents who answered that they were "not sure" was 3.1%.
The poll was conducted using an automated wireless response system. The margin of error for the presidential job approval survey was ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 4.2%. Further details are available on the website of the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission.
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter