# Prosecution Reform and Housing Taxes Drag Lee's Approval to a Record Low > A Realmeter poll put President Lee Jae-myung's approval at 43.3 percent, a record low, with disapproval at 53 percent, as anger over real estate taxes, a plan to strip prosecutors of their investigative powers and his remarks about the military academy spread across regions and ages. - Source: Korea First - Canonical URL: https://koreafirst.tv/article/prosecution-reform-and-housing-taxes-drag-lee-s-approval-to-a-record-low - Author: Korea First Staff - Section: Politics - Published: 2026-08-10T07:45:04.575Z - Updated: 2026-08-10T07:45:04.575Z - Tags: Lee Jae-myung, approval rating, Realmeter, prosecution reform, real estate tax, polls - Korean edition: https://koreafirst.tv/ko/article/prosecution-reform-and-housing-taxes-drag-lee-s-approval-to-a-record-low --- President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating has slid to a record low, according to a new Realmeter poll, as a run of contentious moves on housing, the prosecution and the military drains support from nearly every corner of the country. The survey, commissioned by Energy Economic News, put approval at 43.3 percent, down 2.6 percentage points in a week, while disapproval climbed to 53 percent, up 2.5 points. The gap between the two has widened into clear negative territory. ## Three fights at once Realmeter tied the decline to a cluster of controversies rather than any single stumble. It pointed to the government's real estate tax reform, a prosecution overhaul that would strip prosecutors of their direct power to investigate, and Lee's contentious remarks linking the Korea Military Academy to the risk of a coup. Together, the pollster said, they produced a broader erosion of support. Each touches a different nerve. The tax changes worry homeowners, the prosecution reform reopens one of Korea's most divisive institutional battles, and the military comments drew fire from conservatives quick to defend the armed forces. Fighting on three fronts at once has left few groups untouched. ## A slide that reaches everywhere The regional numbers show how broad the drop was. In Seoul, approval fell 5.9 points to 36.8 percent, in the conservative stronghold of Daegu and North Gyeongsang it dropped 5.5 points to 29.8 percent, and in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang it slid 4.8 points to 38.7 percent. The decline cut across age as well. Support fell 5.6 points among those 70 and older to 43.4 percent and 5.3 points among people in their sixties to 49.2 percent, while among voters in their twenties it dropped to 27.9 percent and among students to just 25.1 percent. Old and young alike moved in the same direction. ## The party holds, for now Lee's Democratic Party of Korea has held up better than the president himself, drawing 44.6 percent, while the conservative People Power Party averaged 37.6 percent across age groups. The ruling party still leads, but the president is now running behind his own party, a warning sign for a leader whose personal standing has been an asset. ## What the numbers mean The poll on presidential approval surveyed 2,514 adults from August 3 to 7 with a margin of error of 2 percentage points, while the party-preference figures came from 1,007 adults over two days with a margin of 3.1 points. The methodology gives the record low the weight of a sizable sample. For Lee, the danger is not a single number but the pattern behind it. Reforms he views as central to his agenda are the very things driving the slide, which leaves him choosing between pressing ahead and easing off. With the discontent now spread across regions, ages and issues, there is no narrow fix, only the slow work of convincing voters that the changes are worth the cost. --- Originally published by Korea First. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://koreafirst.tv/article/prosecution-reform-and-housing-taxes-drag-lee-s-approval-to-a-record-low.