[Polpol News] 63% Say President Lee Performs Better Than Expected in First 100 Days

NBS Public Opinion Survey
Approval Rating Drops 3 Percentage Points in Two Weeks to 59%
Democratic Party 41% vs People Power Party 22%

A recent public opinion poll showed that President Lee Jaemyung's approval rating for his handling of state affairs has slightly declined, now standing in the high 50% range. Regarding President Lee's first 100 days in office, the majority of respondents evaluated his performance as better than expected.

According to the National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research from September 15 to 17, 2025, through mobile phone interviews with 1,002 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide (with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 15.5%), 59% of respondents said that President Lee is "doing well" in his job performance, a 3 percentage point decrease compared to two weeks ago. The negative evaluation, stating that he is "doing poorly," rose by 3 percentage points to 31%.

Yonhap News Agency

Regarding his first 100 days in office, 63% of respondents said he is performing better than expected (21% said "much better," 42% said "somewhat better"). Those who felt he was performing poorly (18% "worse than expected," 13% "much worse") accounted for 31%. Among supporters of the Democratic Party (410 respondents), the positive evaluation was 97%, while among supporters of the People Power Party (220 respondents), the negative evaluation was 77%.

The survey also gathered opinions on major current issues. In response to the arrest of a Korean national at a battery plant construction site in Georgia, United States, 51% said the government handled the situation well, while 35% said it did not. Regarding the proposal to abolish the prosecution service, 46% were in favor and 39% were opposed. As for the passage of the "stronger special prosecutor bill," which expands the investigation period, scope, and personnel for the three major special prosecutors, 56% viewed it positively, while 30% considered it a mistake. However, opinions were evenly split on the September 7 real estate measures, with 43% believing they would be effective and 43% saying they would not.

In terms of party support, the approval rating for the Democratic Party fell by 2 percentage points to 41% compared to the previous survey. The People Power Party's approval rating rose by 2 percentage points to 22%. Regarding the 22nd National Assembly, 53% said the Democratic Party is fulfilling its role as the ruling party, while 22% said the People Power Party is performing well as the main opposition party.

For more detailed information about the poll, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.