Moon's job approval rating drops on controversial nomination

SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating dropped slightly last week, a poll showed Monday, partly on his failed nomination of a new minister he had to withdraw.

In a weekly survey by Realmeter, Moon's job approval rating came to 47.3 percent last week, down 0.4 percentage point from a week earlier.

The latest survey was conducted Monday through Friday, involving 2,520 adults throughout the nation.

The drop apparently follows his withdrawal of the nomination for Science Minister nominee Cho Dong-ho for his participation in what is widely believed to be a fake international science conference.

Moon's earlier pick for the new transportation minister has also been forced to step down over alleged real estate speculation.

An earlier poll by Gallup Korea showed Moon's job approval rating falling to as low as 41 percent last week, the lowest since Moon took office in May 2017.

Realmeter, however, noted the president's recent instruction to reinvestigate suspicious cases that may have been covered up by the police or prosecution may have kept his ratings slipping further.

Moon's job approval rating climbed to 48.2 percent Wednesday, one day after the president made the instruction to reopen suspicious cases, according to the local pollster.

Despite the slight drop in Moon's job approval rating, the ruling Democratic Party's own rating advanced 1.7 percentage points from a week earlier to 38.9 percent, while that of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party gained 1.1 percent to 31.2 percent.

The ratings of the progressive Justice Party and minor opposition Bareunmirae Party declined 0.8 percentage point and 0.6 percentage point, respectively, to 7.2 percent and 5.3 percent.

The minor opposition Party for Democracy and Peace's rating gained 0.1 percentage point to 2.6 percent.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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