Lee's approval rating rises for 1st time in 10 weeks to 34.8%: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rose for the first time in 10 weeks last week, helped by his clarification of key political issues during a press conference, a pollster said Monday. In a poll conducted on 2,507 adults nationwide from last Monday to Friday, positive assessments of Lee's job performance rose by 1 percentage point from the previous week to 34.8 percent, while negative assessments rose 0.1 percentage point to 63.4 percent, Realmeter said. It marked the first time in 10 weeks that Lee's approval rating rose following a 48.9 percent rating on July 13. There was a gradual increase throughout the week from 32.9 percent Tuesday and 32.1 percent Wednesday to 35.3 percent Thursday and 37.2 percent Friday, the day he held the press conference. "At the start of the week, his approval rating continued to decline due to controversy over personnel vetting and the repercussion of the confirmation hearings," the pollster said. Lee's approval rating was beset by controversy surrounding the qualifications of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Gender Equality Minister nomin