Lee's approval rating falls back below 40 pct: poll

SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating slipped back to 39 percent this week, a weekly poll showed Friday, amid negative sentiment over his real estate policies and economic concerns.

The survey, conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,002 people aged 18 and older, showed that positive assessments of Lee's performance fell 2 percentage points from the previous week, when the figure stood at 41 percent.

Lee's approval rating has fluctuated around the 40 percent mark in recent weeks after hitting a low of 37 percent in October.

Those who disapproved of Lee's handling of state affairs remained unchanged from the previous week at 50 percent.

Real estate policies were cited the most by those who disapproved of Lee's performance at 17 percent, followed by economic and livelihood concerns at 15 percent.

Among those who positively assessed Lee's performance, 19 percent cited economic and livelihood issues, followed by diplomacy at 17 percent and communication at 9 percent.

The latest survey came amid political disputes over a controversial special counsel bill over allegations of fabricated indictments targeting Lee, which passed the National Assembly last week, as well concerns over the government's real estate policies and the volatile stock market.

Support for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) rose 3 percentage points to 39 percent, rising for the second straight week after hitting its lowest level under the current administration in late October.

Support for the main opposition People Power Party fell 2 percentage points to 26 percent, widening the gap with the DP to 13 percentage points.

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