{"id":24208,"date":"2026-09-14T15:19:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=24208"},"modified":"2026-09-14T15:19:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:19:03","slug":"lee-jae-myung-approval-rating-why-housing-is-becoming-a-major-political-headache-for-south-koreas-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=24208","title":{"rendered":"Lee Jae-Myung Approval Rating: Why housing is becoming a major political headache for South Korea\u2019s Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134243113,imgsize-53000,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg\" alt=\"Why housing is becoming a major political headache for South Korea\u2019s Lee\" title=\"File photo: South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung (Picture credit: Reuters)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"File photo: South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung (Picture credit: Reuters)\">File photo: South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung (Picture credit: Reuters)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung\u2019s approval rating has fallen to a new low, with housing policy emerging as one of the key issues driving public dissatisfaction as he enters the second year of his five-year term.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>According to a Realmeter survey published on Monday and reported by Reuters, 63.3% of respondents said they disapproved of Lee\u2019s performance, while only 33.8% approved.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The pollster attributed the decline in support partly to dissatisfaction with housing policy and recent cabinet appointments.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>The approval rating slide comes as Lee faces growing pressure to address concerns over urban housing affordability and supply, issues that have previously posed major political challenges for liberal governments in South Korea.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Housing becomes a political headache<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>Lee has sought to curb property speculation through tougher measures targeting multiple-home owners and owners of expensive properties. His government has also tightened borrowing restrictions on leveraged property purchases.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>Critics, however, say the measures have left many prospective buyers feeling increasingly locked out of urban housing markets.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>The housing debate has also centred on the future of land in Seoul\u2019s Yongsan district. Around 2,800 acres of land are being freed up for potential development, including about 740 acres of parkland \u2014 an area slightly smaller than New York\u2019s Central Park.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>The question of whether parts of the land should be developed into high-density housing has highlighted the competing demands for additional homes and green space.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>Lee had pledged during his presidential campaign to create a \u201cCentral Park for Korea\u201d. <!-- -->But the issue has become politically sensitive as pressure increases to expand housing supply in Seoul.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>Kim Si-deok, a commentator on urban development, said Lee had created a perception that he was listening more to those seeking to preserve Seoul as a \u201cboutique city\u201d rather than treating it as a mass housing market.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Approval rating falls from earlier highs<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>The latest decline marks a sharp contrast with Lee\u2019s record as mayor and later governor of Gyeonggi, South Korea\u2019s most populous region.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>His approval rating rose from 29% in 2018 to a peak of 72% two years later, before he left office with support at around 60%, according to Reuters.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>As president, however, Lee has faced a more complicated set of political and policy challenges. Housing has emerged as one of the biggest sources of public dissatisfaction, echoing problems that also weighed on the presidency of former liberal president Moon Jae-in.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>The latest Realmeter survey also found that cabinet-related issues contributed to the decline. <!-- -->These included the withdrawal of a nominee for gender equality minister and accusations of ethics violations involving the nominee for justice minister.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Lee says the finish line matters<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>Lee has not publicly commented on his falling approval rating. He had previously played down the importance of setting a specific target for his popularity, saying his focus was on his performance over the full presidential term.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>\u201cThere\u2019s no point talking about a goal for what kind of support I\u2019d like to get,\u201d Lee said early in his presidency last year. <!-- -->\u201cI\u2019m going to do my best with the expectation that it\u2019ll be higher when I finish.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"49\"\/>The decline has nevertheless raised concerns within the Democratic Party and among supporters over whether Lee can turn around his popularity before a parliamentary election due in two years. The party\u2019s ability to retain its majority could be affected by the political mood leading into that contest.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"51\"\/>Kim Eo-joon, a prominent liberal pundit and early supporter of Lee, warned about the difficulty of recovering once approval falls into the 30s.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"54\"\/>\u201cOnce you hit 3 (in the first digit) in support rating, no president has recovered from that,\u201d Kim said on his YouTube show last month.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"56\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Blue House promises direct outreach<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"58\"\/>The presidential Blue House has said Lee plans to address the public directly, although the format is still being considered.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"61\"\/>Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the government viewed the decline as the result of several policy and political issues rather than a single factor.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"64\"\/>\u201cWe look at this as a compound result of various policy issues such as real estate and the stock market as well as political issues,\u201d Kang said at a Friday briefing, according to Reuters.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"66\"\/>\u201cWe\u2019re listening to the voices of the public with a heavy sense of responsibility.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"68\"\/>For Lee, housing therefore remains a central challenge as his administration seeks to address concerns over property prices, borrowing restrictions and the availability of urban homes while navigating the politically sensitive balance between development and green space.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/real-estate\/news\/why-housing-is-becoming-a-major-political-headache-for-south-koreas-lee\/articleshow\/134243076.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>File photo: South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung (Picture credit: Reuters) South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung\u2019s approval rating has fallen to a new low, with housing policy emerging as one of the key issues driving public dissatisfaction as he enters the second year of his five-year term.According to a Realmeter survey published on Monday and reported [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/south-korea-housing-woes.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"File photo: South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung (Picture credit: Reuters) South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung\u2019s approval rating has fallen to a new low, with housing policy emerging as one of the key issues driving public dissatisfaction as he enters the second year of his five-year term.According to a Realmeter survey published on Monday and reported [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 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