Lee says he ‘humbly accepts’ public opinion after his approval tanks 9.4 points

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung issued an apology on Wednesday and said that he “humbly accepts the objective assessment of the people” after his approval rating nosedived in the wake of last week’s local elections.

The apology comes after Lee’s humble description of the outcome of the local elections — widely considered a qualified victory for his ruling Democratic Party — as a “warning from the nation” during a press conference on Monday.

“I apologize to the South Korean people,” Lee wrote on his official account on the social media site X on Wednesday while sharing a news article on his approval rating. “I will be humble and bow my head even lower. I will reach out to more people, be more generous, and work harder.”

The article shared by Lee concerned the results of a poll by the Korea Society Opinion Institute conducted earlier in the week, which showed his approval at 50.4%, having fallen 9.4 points from the previous poll conducted May 26 to May 27.

Disapproval of Lee rose to 45.7%, an increase of 10.5 percentage points from the previous survey.

This marks the first time since Lee took office that the gap between his approval and disapproval ratings in the same survey has narrowed to within the margin of error (plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 95% confidence). The survey was conducted via an automated telephone response system.

Support for the Democratic Party also declined, falling to 38.6%, down 4.7 percentage points from the previous poll. Meanwhile, approval for the People Power Party rose to 38.1%, an increase of 6.5 percentage points.

The decline in Lee’s approval ratings was particularly sharp among respondents in their 20s and 30s, along with those from Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.

Disapproval of the president rose to 62.3% among respondents in their 20s and 59.9% among those in their 30s, representing increases of 14.8 and 0.6 percentage points, respectively, compared to the previous survey.

Lee’s disapproval rating among Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province residents rose 18.6 percentage points, from 33.8% to 52.4%.

“One could assess that the rallying of the People Power Party’s base in the final stages of the election has been partially reflected in the evaluation of the administration’s performance,” the Korea Society Opinion Institute explained.

“However, since Lee’s job approval rating still remains in the 50% range, it is difficult to conclude that the administration’s momentum has been significantly weakened. Assessments of the administration will be swayed by whether the administration will b