Moon's rating further gains amid growing N. Korea tension

SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in's approval rating further rose this week, a poll showed Friday, as he has stepped up diplomatic efforts to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and strengthen the alliance with the United States.

The approval rating on his job performance came to 83 percent, up 3 percentage points from a week earlier, according to a survey by Gallup Korea.

Those that disapproved of his work stood at 9 percent, down four points from the previous week. Nine percent were unsure or refused to answer.

The poll was conducted on 1,004 adults from Tuesday to Thursday, with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points and a 95 percent confidence level.

The firm support for Moon came on the heels of North Korea's test-firing of what it claims to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Tuesday in defiance of international sanctions.

In the first bilateral summit late last week, Moon and his U.S. counterpart President Donald Trump agreed to increase pressure on North Korea while leaving the door open for dialogue.

Of the respondents, 71 percent said that the president's visit to the U.S. was beneficial to national interests.

The survey also showed that those supporting the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system, known as THAAD, climbed to 57 percent from 51 percent at the beginning of the year, due apparently to the North's recent missile provocation.

The rating for the ruling Democratic Party stood at 50 percent, up 2 points from the previous week, with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party garnering 10 percent, up 3 points.

The minor opposition People's Party recorded the lowest level of 4 percent, dampened by the alleged fabrication of misinformation about Moon's son.

The support for the splinter Bareun Party and progressive Justice Party stood at 8 percent and 6 percent, respectively, both slightly down from a week earlier.

elly@yna.co.kr
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