President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating for national administration has made a notable rebound, climbing back into the 60% range for the first time in three weeks, according to a series of nationwide surveys released on May 18, 2026. The surveys, conducted by Realmeter at the request of Energy Economy Newspaper, offer a revealing snapshot of South Korea’s political climate amid economic milestones, policy controversies, and shifting party loyalties.
Between May 11 and May 15, 2026, Realmeter surveyed 2,506 adults aged 18 and older across the country. The results showed President Lee’s positive approval rating at 60.5%, up 0.8 percentage points from the previous week. This marks the second consecutive week of gains and a return to the 60% range after having dipped to 59.5% in late April and 59.7% in early May. The negative evaluation of Lee’s performance stood at 35.1%, down 0.6 percentage points, while 4.4% of respondents said they were unsure.
What fueled this uptick in support? According to Realmeter, two key factors played a role: the KOSPI stock index breaking the 8,000 point barrier for the first time in history, and President Lee’s high-profile visits to the new airport project in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. These events seem to have resonated with voters concerned about economic growth and regional development. As Realmeter analysts put it, “The KOSPI’s first breakthrough of the 8,000 mark and President Lee’s visits to the new airport in Daegu-Gyeongbuk appear to have driven the rise in approval.”
Still, the momentum was not without its obstacles. The week’s gains were tempered by several controversies. Among them was the uproar over national dividend remarks made by policy chief Kim Yong-beom, which sparked ideological debate and drew criticism from both conservative and centrist voters. Meanwhile, opposition parties accused President Lee of election interference, and there were growing concerns about a possible labor strike after wage negotiations broke down at Samsung Electronics. As Realmeter noted, “The rise was somewhat limited by controversy over the national dividend remarks, opposition party election interference accusations, and labor strike concerns at Samsung Electronics.”
The daily tracking data revealed significant fluctuations. On May 8, approval was at 59.8%. It peaked at 64.4% on May 13, before dropping to 59.5% on May 14 and further to 56.2% on May 15. These shifts suggest that while the overall trend is positive, public opinion remains sensitive to ongoing political and economic developments.
Regionally, the approval surge was especially pronounced in areas traditionally considered strongholds for conservative opposition. In Daegu-Gyeongbuk, positive ratings jumped by 9.6 percentage points to 53.7%. Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam also saw a 3.2 point increase to 55.6%. However, support dipped in Democratic heartlands such as Gwangju-Jeolla (down 1.4 points to 81.6%) and Daejeon-Sejong-Chungcheong (down 2.4 points to 59.0%).
The demographic breakdown paints a nuanced picture. Support increased among women (up 3.3 points to 62.5%), those in their 70s and older (up 2.5 points to 54.4%), voters in their 50s (up 3.6 points to 76.8%), and those in their 20s (up 2.9 points to 47.3%). Progressive groups saw their approval rise by 2.1 points to a striking 87.7%. Students (up 8.3 points to 44.1%), the unemployed and retired (up 5.9 points to 60.3%), and sales/production/labor/service workers (up 3.8 points to 63.2%) also reported increased support for President Lee.
But not every group was on board. For instance, support among men fell by 1.9 points to 58.3%, and among those in their 30s, it dropped by 5.9 points to 49.2%. These variations underscore the complexity of Lee’s support base, which is both broad and volatile.
Political party support, meanwhile, is undergoing its own realignment. Between May 14 and May 15, a separate Realmeter survey of 1,003 adults found the ruling Democratic Party’s support at 45.8%, down 2.9 percentage points from the previous week. The opposition People Power Party, on the other hand, rose by 2.6 points to 33.5%. The Innovation Party stood at 3.8%, the Reform Party at 3.2%, the Progressive Party at 1.8%, other parties at 3.0%, and non-affiliated voters at 8.9%.
The Democratic Party’s decline was particularly steep in Gwangju-Jeolla (down 14.3 points), Seoul (down 5.2 points), and among male voters (down 5.7 points), voters in their 20s (down 10.4 points), students (down 20.1 points), and homemakers (down 13.7 points). Realmeter attributed these losses to the fallout from the national dividend debate, which “spread into an ideological controversy leading to defections among conservatives and centrists,” as well as internal party strife and candidate selection disputes during the local election period.
Conversely, the People Power Party saw gains in Daejeon-Sejong-Chungcheong (up 3.9 points), Seoul (up 5.1 points), Gwangju-Jeolla (up 7.4 points), among men (up 6.7 points), voters in their 30s (up 9.8 points), and students (up 10.5 points). The party’s improvement was credited to “the reorganization of the election system and consolidation of conservative support following the launch of the central election committee.”
Both surveys were carried out via a fully wireless, automated response system, using randomly generated phone numbers for maximum reach. The presidential approval survey had a response rate of 4.3% with a ±2.0 percentage point margin of error at a 95% confidence level. The party support survey had a 3.7% response rate and a ±3.1 point margin of error.
For those seeking more detailed breakdowns, Realmeter and the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission provide full datasets and methodology on their respective websites. These results, while just a snapshot, highlight the dynamic and sometimes unpredictable nature of Korean politics—where economic headlines, policy debates, and party infighting can all move the needle, sometimes in the space of a week.
As the country heads deeper into 2026, President Lee’s administration finds itself buoyed by economic optimism but challenged by political headwinds—a reminder that in South Korea’s democracy, public opinion is always in motion.