President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating has once again landed squarely in the 60% range, according to a new Realmeter survey released on March 30, 2026. For the third week in a row, Lee’s job performance has been rated positively by more than six out of ten South Koreans, a sign of persistent support even as economic anxiety simmers beneath the surface. The latest poll, conducted from March 23 to March 27 among 2,513 voters aged 18 and above, found that 62.2% of respondents gave a thumbs-up to Lee’s handling of presidential duties. This figure, unchanged from the previous week, suggests a remarkable stability in public sentiment despite a swirl of both encouraging and troubling developments on the national stage.
Breaking down the numbers, the survey—commissioned by Energy Economy Newspaper and reported by Yonhap Infomax and Sisa Today—revealed that 48.7% of respondents described Lee’s performance as “very good,” while another 13.5% said he was doing “well.” Meanwhile, negative evaluations accounted for 32.2% (with 22.7% saying “very bad” and 9.5% “bad”), a slight dip of 0.3 percentage points from the previous survey. The share of those unsure or undecided on Lee’s performance was 5.6%.
What’s driving this steady approval? According to Realmeter analysts cited by both Yonhap Infomax and Sisa Today, the government’s aggressive push on cost-of-living measures has played a decisive role. The administration rolled out a suite of policies including a fuel tax cut, a massive 25 trillion won war supplementary budget, and a freeze on electricity bills. These moves, designed to cushion ordinary citizens from inflation and global economic volatility, have clearly resonated with the public. "The government’s active livelihood measures such as fuel tax cuts, a 25 trillion won war supplementary budget, and electricity bill freeze positively influenced approval ratings," Realmeter explained, as reported by Yonhap Infomax.
However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. The same survey period saw worrying signs in the financial markets: the South Korean won’s exchange rate surged past 1,510 won to the dollar, and the benchmark KOSPI stock index tumbled below the 5,300-point mark. These developments, Realmeter analysts noted, “offset” the positive effects of government policy, leading to a plateau in Lee’s approval numbers rather than a surge. Sisa Today echoed this analysis, quoting Realmeter’s view that “economic indicators worsened with the exchange rate surpassing 1,510 won and KOSPI falling below 5,300 points, offsetting effects and causing ratings to plateau.”
The Realmeter poll also took the public’s political pulse on party support, revealing a subtle but significant shift in the nation’s partisan landscape. The Democratic Party, Lee’s own political home, saw its support drop by 1.9 percentage points to 51.1%. In contrast, the main opposition, the People Power Party, experienced a 2.5 percentage point rebound, climbing to 30.6%. This marks the first uptick for the People Power Party in four weeks, narrowing the gap between the two major parties from 24.9 percentage points to 20.5 percentage points.
Other parties, while still trailing far behind, registered their own modest shares: the Reform New Party came in at 2.7%, the Innovation Party at 1.6%, and the Progressive Party at 1.5%. Notably, the proportion of respondents who identified as non-affiliated or undecided rose by 1.1 percentage points to 10.2%.
What’s behind these shifting allegiances? Realmeter’s post-survey analysis, as reported by Sisa Today, pointed to a surge in economic anxiety as a primary driver. For the Democratic Party, “exchange rate spikes, inflationary pressures, and a plunging stock market” have fueled public unease, leading to a sense of responsibility and a desire for adjustment among voters. The People Power Party, meanwhile, benefited from what analysts described as a “rebound effect” following a period of declining support, even as it grappled with internal nomination disputes. Voters’ desire to keep the ruling party in check amid economic volatility also appears to have played a role in the opposition’s recovery. "The People Power Party's rise was attributed to a rebound effect from accumulated declines despite internal nomination conflicts, and voter desire to check the ruling party amid economic instability," Realmeter told Sisa Today.
Both the presidential approval and party support surveys were conducted using 100% mobile automated response systems (ARS) with random digit dialing, a method designed to maximize reach and randomness. The presidential poll had a response rate of 5.1% and a sampling error of ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The party support survey, conducted over March 26-27 with 1,006 voters aged 18 and over, recorded a response rate of 3.9% and a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at the same confidence level. For those seeking more granular details, both Yonhap Infomax and Sisa Today directed readers to the website of the Central Election Poll Review Committee, which oversees the technical standards and transparency of such surveys.
While the numbers may appear static at first glance, the underlying dynamics reveal a political landscape in flux. The government’s policy interventions have succeeded in maintaining a high level of support for President Lee, but the fragility of economic conditions has introduced new uncertainties. As Realmeter summed up, “Democratic Party’s decline was due to economic anxiety from rising exchange rates, inflation, and stock market drops, causing responsibility and adjustment sentiment toward the ruling party.” And for the opposition, “economic uncertainty and a desire to check the ruling party” have provided a much-needed boost—at least for now.
With the gap between the two main parties shrinking and the share of undecided voters edging upward, the coming weeks could see even more volatility in public opinion. As always in South Korean politics, the only constant is change—and for President Lee and his rivals, the next chapter may be just around the corner.