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

Washington is pressing Seoul over its reluctance to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and over slow progress on a $350 billion trade package.

- Published: 2026-09-18T05:18:24.383Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-09-18/south-korea-s-president-apologises-as-his-approval-rating-fa
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: world
- Sources: [The Japan Times](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/18/asia-pacific/politics/south-korea-president-approval/), [The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/trump-clearly-wants-dialogue-with-pyongyang-south-korean-president/article71479331.ece), [The Korea Herald](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10870276)

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](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10870276) since he took office in June 2025. [The Japan Times reported](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/18/asia-pacific/politics/south-korea-president-approval/) 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](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/trump-clearly-wants-dialogue-with-pyongyang-south-korean-president/article71479331.ece), 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.

## What this means

Seoul's negotiating position is set by domestic approval numbers, so a president at 38 percent is slower to sign trade commitments and less able to authorise military support abroad. That delay keeps tariff and investment terms unsettled for Korean exporters, especially carmakers and chipmakers with United States capacity plans, and it leaves one more American ally hesitating over the Gulf operation. The alternative outcome is a rapid concession package designed to restore Washington's goodwill, which would trade domestic political cost for tariff certainty.

## What to watch

- Whether Lee's cabinet reshuffle lifts his approval rating in the next Gallup Korea surveys, which determines how much he can concede.
- Progress on implementing the $350 billion trade and investment package, the most direct channel to Korean exporters.
- Any announced American contact with Pyongyang, which would give Lee a diplomatic result to show voters.