South Korean President Lee's approval rating falls to 58 pc: Poll

Seoul, Sep 12 South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating fell below 60 per cent, a poll showed Friday, as he marked 100 days in office.

In a Gallup Korea survey of 1,002 adults conducted Tuesday through Thursday, 58 per cent gave a positive evaluation of Lee's performance, down 5 percentage points from the previous week.

Lee's approval rating had stayed above 60 per cent following his summit with US President Donald Trump in late August, but the upward trend reversed this week while he marked his 100th day in office on Thursday, Yonhap news agency reported.

Among respondents, 14 per cent who gave a positive evaluation cited the economy, while 22 per cent of those with a negative view pointed to diplomacy, particularly after more than 300 South Korean workers were rounded up in a US immigration raid at a battery factory construction site in Georgia.

The ruling Democratic Party's approval rating rose 1 percentage point to 41 per cent, while the main opposition People Power Party remained unchanged at 24 per cent.

The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 per cent confidence level.

Meanwhile, President Lee held his first phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday and pledged to deepen cooperation, the presidential office said.

Macron congratulated Lee on his inauguration and said he hoped the launch of the new administration will further strengthen bilateral friendship and cooperation, president spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.

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