Lee's approval rating rises 1 percentage point to 44%; gap between Democratic and People Power parties smallest in six months [NBS]

[Financial News] A poll released on the 15th found that President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating for his handling of state affairs rose 1 percentage point from the previous survey to 44%. The gap in party support between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party narrowed to 5 percentage points, its smallest in the past six months.
According to the National Barometer Survey (NBS), conducted by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research from the 12th to the 14th among 1,000 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide, 44% gave a positive assessment of President Lee's handling of state affairs, while 49% gave a negative assessment. The share who did not know or declined to answer was 7%.
The NBS said assessments of the president's handling of state affairs were similar to those in the previous survey, conducted in the first week of October.
Party support stood at 33% for the Democratic Party and 28% for the People Power Party. The gap between the two parties was 10 percentage points in the previous survey but narrowed to 5 percentage points this time. The NBS said the gap in support for the two parties was the smallest in the past six months.
Next came the Rebuilding Korea Party at 4%, the Reform Party at 2% and the Progressive Party at 1%. Those who said they had no preferred party or did not know accounted for 29%.
Asked how the government should respond to the recent landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), 65% said it should 'respond firmly to North Korea.' Another 32% said military tensions between North and South Korea should be reduced, while 3% did not know or declined to answer.
Support for a firm response was 86% among conservatives and 64% among moderates. By contrast, among progressives, the largest share, 57%, said priority should be given to easing military tensions. By age, 78% of those aged 18 to 29 and 80% of those in their 30s said North Korea should be met with a firm response.
Asked about the outlook for jeonse and monthly rental prices in their area over the next year, 59% said prices would rise. Just 8% expected them to fall. Another 28% expected no change, while 6% did not know or declined to answer.
The survey was conducted by telephone interview using mobile-phone virtual numbers (100%) provided by the country's three telecommunications carriers. The response rate was 16.8%, and the margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Further details are available on the websites of the NBS and the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter