South Korean President's Rating Drops To 4-Month Low - Poll

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2023) South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating has hit a four-month low against the backdrop of his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, according to a Gallup Korea Research Institute poll released on Friday.

The poll showed that 60% of respondents negatively viewed Yoon's policy, and only 30% approved of the president's job performance, down four percentage points from a week ago.

At the same time, 21% cited diplomacy as the reason for the negative assessment, while another 20% cited issues in relations with Japan and a compensation plan for forced labor victims during the Japanese colonial period.

The approval ratings of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party were tied at 33%, according to the survey.

The poll was conducted from March 28-30 and surveyed 1,000 adults, with the confidence interval standing at 95% and the margin of error not exceeding 3.1%.

The disapproval of Yoon's policy intensified following the leader's meeting with Kishida during his visit to Japan from March 16-17. The opposition members believe the president made unannounced concessions to Japan regarding issues that have been souring bilateral relations for decades, including Japan's wartime forced labor.

In the beginning of March, the South Korean government proposed a compensation plan for the victims of forced labor during the Japanese rule through a South Korean public foundation instead of Japanese companies, as originally prescribed by a court. While some of the victims rejected the proposal, Tokyo welcomed it.