South Korea’s Lee hits new approval low as housing discontent grows

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating fell to a new low on Monday (Sept 14), extending a steep decline as he entered the second year of his five-year term amid growing public discontent with key policies, including housing.In a Realmeter survey published on Monday, 63.3 per cent of respondents said they disapproved of Lee’s performance while 33.8 per cent said he was doing a good job.Public dissatisfaction with housing policy and cabinet appointments, including the withdrawal of a gender equality minister nominee and ethics violation accusations against the justice minister nominee, weighed on declining support, the pollster said.Lee has not publicly commented on his falling popularity, but previously said that what matters is the finish line.”There’s no point talking about a goal for what kind of support I’d like to get,” Lee said early in his presidency last year. “I’m going to do my best with the expectation that it’ll be higher when I finish.”