(Bloomberg) -- The support rate for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol dived to its lowest level since he took office in 2022 on concerns over strains to the medical system from thousands of doctors remaining off their jobs to protest the government’s reform plans.
The approval rate for Yoon fell to 20% in a weekly tracking poll released Friday by Gallup Korea, down 3 percentage points from last week’s survey. His previous low was 21% recorded in May. The poll was conducted among 1,002 respondents across the country and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, Gallup Korea said.
Among those who had an unfavorable view of Yoon, 18% faulted him for the government’s medical reform plans, a turnaround from a few months ago when Yoon’s approval rating rose to one of its highest levels as voters welcomed the president’s tough stance on doctors who walked off the job.
Thousands of doctors abandoned their posts to protest the government plans to increase medical school admissions, forcing hospitals to delay or cancel surgeries. Concerns over a medical crisis have picked up in recent weeks as emergency rooms were feared to experience further disruptions during the Chuseok holiday period that starts next week.
South Korea started deploying military doctors to emergency rooms this month to deal with the staff shortages, underscoring the strain the country’s health care system has come under since the protest began about seven months ago.
The doctors contend the enrollment plan won’t fix fundamental problems such as a shortage of physicians in fields seen as lower paying, a concentration of doctors in urban areas and a malpractice system they argue makes it difficult for them to do their jobs effectively.
The government has offered some concessions to bring the doctors back to work but they have shown little signs of returning.
The plunging approval rating casts a shadow over the prospects of Yoon achieving key policy initiatives, especially as he already faces headwinds in the opposition-led parliament for the remaining three years of his single, five-year term.
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