▲ President Lee Jae Myung receives policy briefings from key ministries at Cheong Wa Dae on July 16, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating edged down to 52 percent this week, a poll showed Friday, marking its second straight weekly decline.

In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday, 52 percent of 1,003 respondents aged 18 and older positively assessed Lee's management of state affairs, down 1 percentage point from a week earlier.

The rating marks a consecutive weekly drop from 54 percent recorded in the poll released July 3.

Those who disapproved of Lee's handling of state affairs rose by 2 percentage points on-week to 37 percent. Eleven percent of the respondents declined to answer.

About a fifth of the respondents cited diplomacy as the main reason for their positive assessment of Lee's performance, followed by 19 percent who pointed to the economy and people's livelihoods.

Economic concerns, including the continued weakness of the local currency and his real estate policy, were among the main reasons cited by those who viewed Lee unfavorably.

By region, support for Lee was the highest in the southwestern regions of Gwangju and Jeolla at 77 percent, while support in Seoul stood at 47 percent.

Lee's approval rating was the highest among respondents in their 40s and 50s at 68 percent, while those aged 18 to 29 and over 70 gave him the lowest ratings of 38 and 39 percent, respectively.

The approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party fell 2 percentage points to 40 percent, while that of the main opposition People Power Party rose 2 percentage points to 26 percent.

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