Why Is South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's Approval Rating Dropping?

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating has plummeted to 37%, its lowest level since taking office in June 2025. The president himself attributed this steep decline to his own shortcomings. While the slide became more pronounced after the June local elections, signs of waning support began to appear in mid-May. Among respondents who disapprove of him, 20 percent cited housing policy and 16 percent cited personnel appointments as reasons for their dissatisfaction, according to a Gallup Korea poll. Several key developments help explain the decline. First, the fading "Yoon effect"—the contrast with his predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol, who was impeached for illegitimately declaring martial law—has weakened over time. Public attention has shifted from punishing past wrongdoings to improving daily life, as Yoon and his wife face prison sentences. It has been over 21 months since the martial law declaration, and many South Koreans have moved on. Second, there is a perceived gap between the hands-on executive image Lee cultivated as a mayor and governor and the delegator he now appears to be. Lee has stated he has neither the time nor the ability to micromanage everything and has told staff to refrain from involvement in routine ministry business. His principle is to give authority and hold people firmly accountable. However, the rollout of single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) shows the risk of this approach. These stock products have hurt retail investors, and South Koreans want an explanation. Former Presidential Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom said in January that he had instructed regulators to review the products. The ETFs went on sale on May 27, days before the local elections. Regulators tightened the rules on July 16 and again on July 29 as losses mounted. The policy chief resigned on September 1, and the Blue House did not give a reason. In his press conference on September 18, Lee said that he did not yet know the details of how the products were approved, although he "received a report at the time," he recalled. Lee conceded that it seems true that there were shortcomings. In such comments, voters who backed him for getting things done may see a president who owns the results but not the process. Housing policy remains a significant concern, cited as the top reason for disapproval in the Gallup Korea polling. Lee, for his part, pointed out that prices in outlying areas are still climbing even as those in wealthy Gangnam, the emblematic district for wealth in Seoul, soften. Communication is another challenge. Scrutiny of a president tends to sharpen in the second year, and the local elections gave critics an opening. The ruling Democratic Party won 12 of 16 mayoral and gubernatorial races but lost Seoul, where Lee had publicly backed the DP's candidate, Chong Won-o. During his press conference commemorating his first year in the presidency on June 8, Lee said that losing places the party should have won made the result "at the least, not a success." Asked how he would talk to the public about housing, specifically, Lee didn't seem to have an answer. He said on Friday that he would study a variety of methods and invited suggestions. Lee closed by promising to communicate more, listen more, and respect more. On the foreign policy and security front, the shifting relationship with the U.S., North Korea's refusal to communicate, and the approach to the Middle East conflict have left the public seeking clearer answers. U.S. President Donald Trump has pressed Seoul for help in the U.S. war with Iran, especially in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. On March 14, two weeks after beginning strikes against Iran, Trump urged South Korea and four other countries to send warships to the strait. On August 16, he wrote on Truth Social that he had asked Lee whether South Korea would join "the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran." South Korea replied, according to Trump, "No thanks!" In the same post, he ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint exercises with South Korea. During his press conference, Lee ruled out sending troops to take part in the Iran-U.S. war. "There will be no dispatch of troops that involves or intervenes in the war," he said. Still, he noted that a naval unit is already stationed near the Strait of Hormuz. And the Blue House said on Saturday that Lee had not rejected the request from Trump for cooperation on Middle East issues. So South Koreans may be left feeling uncertain as to what the Lee administration will actually do in the Middle East. On North Korea, Lee said Pyongyang "is clearly refusing to communicate with South Korea." He added that Trump wants dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and that Seoul is coordinating in advance to make talks possible. He dismissed concerns that South Korea could be sidelined. Personnel issues have also plagued the administration. Five ministerial nominees have withdrawn since Lee took office, starting just a month after Lee took office. His education minister pick, Lee Jin-sook, withdrew in July 2025 amid plagiarism allegations. More recently, Yong Hye-in, a two-time lawmaker in the Basic Income Party who was nominated as gender equality minister, withdrew from consideration on September 13. In his press conference on Friday, Lee promised a review of how nominees are vetted. "I plan to re-examine the personnel system now," Lee said, though he could not promise that problems would never recur. Kim Seung-won, Lee's justice minister appointee who attracted critical reporting from the press and belligerence from opposition lawmakers, withdrew the next morning. He was the fifth Lee nominee to fall through since he took office. When Lee had announced a reshuffle on August 30, his chief of staff, Kang Ho- These combined factors are seen as contributing to the significant drop in President Lee Jae-myung's approval ratings.