Business World

Support for S. Korea’s Moon hits record high after summit

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SEOUL — President Moon Jae-in is enjoying record support from the South Korean public in the wake of a historic summit with his North Korean counterpar­t, pollsters said Thursday.

More than three in four voters approved of Moon, according to pollster Realmeter — an all-time high for any South Korean president at the end of their first year in office.

Realmeter said the result reflected “mounting public expectatio­ns for the North’s denucleari­zation and the establishm­ent of peace on the Korean peninsula” following Moon’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday.

The president’s support rose more than eight points to 78.3% in the week following the summit, where the two leaders agreed to work towards a permanent peace treaty.

Since his May 2017 election, Moon had projected a stable and down-to-earth style while communicat­ing closely with voters, Jeong Han-wool of public opinion firm Hankook Research told AFP.

“Moon’s approval ratings, which were relatively low around the end of last year, surged back up following the Pyeongchan­g Winter Olympics,” he said.

North Korea sent athletes, supporters, an art troupe and highlevel officials to the Olympics, initiating a flurry of diplomatic gestures that culminated in last week’s summit.

Jeong said Moon’s popularity was likely to continue through next month’s local elections, which Moon’s ruling Democratic Party is widely tipped to dominate.

The center-left party enjoyed the support of nearly 55% of the electorate in the latest Realmeter poll, while the conservati­ve Liberty Korea Party had less than 18% support, shedding more than 3% since last week.

Support for the opposition has flatlined since former presidents Park Geun-hye and her predecesso­r Lee Myung-bak were embroiled in massive corruption cases. Both former leaders are now in jail. —

 ?? AFP ?? IN THIS file photo taken on April 27, a picture of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s President Moon Jae- in is beamed onto the Peace House during a closing ceremony at the end of their historic summit at the truce village of Panmunjom....
AFP IN THIS file photo taken on April 27, a picture of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s President Moon Jae- in is beamed onto the Peace House during a closing ceremony at the end of their historic summit at the truce village of Panmunjom....

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