Moon ends this year with record low approval rating: poll

SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in wrapped up this year with his approval rate hitting a record low amid an economic slowdown and the presidential office's alleged surveillance of civilians, a poll showed Monday.

Moon's support came to 45.9 percent last week, down 1.2 percentage points from the previous week, according to the poll conducted by Realmeter of 2,011 people across the country.

The decline apparently stemmed from a pile of negative news that includes the revelation by a former investigator that he collected information on civilians while working at the presidential office, the pollster said.

Moon's approval rate reached 71.6 percent in the first week of January and peaked at 77.4 percent right after his first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on April 27.

Since then, the support rate declined to 53.1 percent in the second week of September on sluggish economic data, but shot up to 65.3 percent two weeks later, aided by the inter-Korean summit in September in Pyongyang.

But since October, the rate has been on the decline, hitting the 40-percent mark for the first time in the fourth week of November amid the slumping economy.

The support rating for the ruling Democratic Party declined 1.2 percentage points on-week to 36.8 percent last week. The rating for the main opposition Liberty Korea Party rose 0.3 percentage point to 25.7 percent.

The poll had a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points and a 95 percent confidence level.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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