Lee's approval rating rises to 46 pct: poll

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rose to 46 percent this week, surpassing his disapproval rating for the first time in nearly two months, a biweekly poll showed Thursday.

In a survey of 1,000 adults nationwide conducted Monday through Wednesday, positive assessments of Lee's job performance rose 2 percentage points from two weeks earlier, according to the National Barometer Survey (NBS).

Negative assessments fell 5 percentage points to 44 percent.

Lee's approval rating last exceeded his disapproval rating in late August, when positive assessments stood at 50 percent. It then fell to a record low of 43 percent for two consecutive surveys in mid-September and the first week of October, before rising to 44 percent in the previous poll.

Support for the ruling Democratic Party rose 3 percentage points to 36 percent, while that of the main opposition People Power Party fell 3 percentage points to 25 percent.

When asked whether Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae should be impeached, 34 percent of respondents supported his impeachment, while 45 percent opposed it.

In recent weeks, some lawmakers have called for Cho's impeachment, citing his refusal to newly recommend a candidate to the top court despite a request from the presidential office, as well as allegations of election interference and improper use of official funds.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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