發布日期:2023-01-30 22:29:16
President Yoon Suk-yeol enters Korea Job World, a youth vocational experience facility in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, to attend a luncheon with the Korean team for the 2022 WorldSkills Competition. Yoon's approval rating inched up to 36 percent, its highest point in five months. Yonhap
By Kwon Mee-yoo
A Gallup survey this week confirmed that President Yoon Suk-yeol's job approval rating has risen slightly.
According to the weekly survey conducted by Gallup Korea, the public's positive assessment of Yoon's performance has increased 3 percentage points from the previous week to 36 percent, while those assessing him negatively decreased 3 percentage points to 56 percent.
Yoon's approval rating has reached the mid-30-percent range for the first time in five months ― the last time being during the first week of July. His ratings then dropped to 24 percent in September and were under 30 percent throughout November, before picking up slightly in December.
The reasons cited by those who assessed his job performance positively were Yoon's response to the cargo truckers' strike (20 percent), followed by his "fairness and principles" (16 percent). Unlike his predecessors, Yoon stood firm against the striking unionized truckers and ordered them to return to work. The strike ended last week as the unionists voted in favor of ending the 16-day strike.
Those who assessed Yoon negatively said their reasons were him being "dogmatic" (12 percent) and "overall wrong" (11 percent), as well as not looking after the economy and people's livelihoods, and lacking in communication.
The president's strict approach to handling the cargo truckers' strike seems to have had the effect of rallying support from some of those who had previously been disheartened. The survey also showed that 78 percent of ruling People Power Party supporters indicated that they believe Yoon is currently doing well.
The survey company analyzed that Yoon's recent series of confrontations with the opposition bloc and previous administration ― such as with his proposal to abolish a set of expanded health insurance coverage policies called "Mooncare," or to lengthen the 52-hour workweek ― received mixed responses.
"Such a stern attitude toward the truckers' strike and attempts at reform are seen as Yoon 'sticking to principles' for his supporters, while Yoon's opponents see him as 'dogmatic,'" Gallup Korea explained in a statement.
According to the survey, 60 percent of Koreans believe that the economic outlook for Korea over the next year will deteriorate, while 13 percent think it will improve and 22 percent expect it to remain the same.
Gallup Korea surveyed 1,001 people from Tuesday to Thursday. More details of the survey are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission's website.