President Park Geun-hye’s approval rating hit a record low this week amid a spiraling influence-peddling scandal involving her former and incumbent aides, and escalating tension between her office and the ruling party.
According to local pollster Gallup Korea, Park’s approval rating plunged to 35 percent, the lowest level since she entered office in early 2013. The poll also showed that 50 percent of respondents in their 50s disapproved of her performance, surpassing the percentage of respondents who expressed positive views of her for the first time.
The survey was conducted for three days, starting Tuesday, one day after Park held her New Year’s press conference. At the conference, she said she would focus on the economy in her third year in office, stressing that South Korea was entering a golden era of economic revitalization. Park reiterated her plan to push ahead with the three-year economic innovation plan, proposed reform measures and urged North Korea to join talks on reunification.
About 40 percent of respondents expressed negative reactions to her New Year’s press conference while only 28 percent said they were satisfied with her announcement and her vision unveiled early this week.
About 14 percent of respondents who expressed negative views of her conference said they were disappointed with her communication skills while 9 percent said she was not being honest at the news conference, which was broadcast live nationwide. Others said they felt like she was reading a script and insisting strongly on her views.
“President Park said the allegations that her aides meddled in state affairs were found to be false, but her remark seems to be quite different than what the public thinks,” said Gallup Korea in a statement.
The pollster surveyed 1,002 adults nationwide. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points and a 95 percent confidence level.
