South Korea's president apologises as his approval rating falls to 38 percent

President Lee Jae-myung has apologised publicly and moved to reset his administration after his approval rating fell to 38 percent in Gallup Korea's latest survey, the first reading below 40 percent since he took office in June 2025. The Japan Times reported that the decline reflects domestic economic discontent as much as any single controversy.

The gap between corporate results and household experience is central to the problem. SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics are earning heavily from the global artificial intelligence build-out, while voters cite high property prices and stagnant living costs. Export profits concentrated in two semiconductor firms do not reach wages quickly, and the government has not found a policy that changes that within an electoral cycle.

External pressure is compounding the problem. The Trump administration has criticised Seoul for what it describes as unwillingness to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and for slow implementation of a $350 billion trade and investment package. On the Korean peninsula, Lee said it is clear that President Donald Trump wants dialogue with Pyongyang and that he is encouraging him to pursue it, according to The Hindu, positioning himself as a facilitator of talks rather than a party to the Gulf conflict.

A weakened Korean government has less capacity to absorb either demand. Concessions on the trade package or on military support for the Gulf operation would be made from a low political base, which is exactly when governments prefer to delay.