President Lee Jae Myung’s Approval Rises to 56.5% After Housing Tax Crackdown

Updated 2026-02-16 05:50:02+00:00 (4 articles)

Image: Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung (Pool photo) (Yonhap) Source Full size

Approval Rating Surges to 56.5% in Late February Poll A Realmeter poll commissioned by a local business news outlet surveyed 1,009 adults with a ±2 percentage‑point margin of error and 95 % confidence, releasing results on Feb. 16 and reporting them on Feb. 18; Lee’s approval climbed 0.7 points to 56.5 % while the negative rating fell to 38.9 %[1].

Policy Targeting Multiple‑Home Owners Drives Popularity Boost Lee’s effort to end the exemption from heavy capital gains tax for owners of multiple homes, coupled with a recent stock‑market rise, is credited with the approval gain; he denounced multiple‑home ownership on X as having “more negative effects than positive ones” and called for removal of “unfair preferential treatment” in tax, finance and regulations[1].

Youth Housing Burden Central to Lee’s Campaign Messaging Lee repeatedly pledges to stabilize the housing market, arguing that soaring home prices burden young people, deter marriage and childbirth, and exacerbate socioeconomic hardship; these points feature prominently in his public statements and policy agenda[1].

Sources

1.
Yonhap: Lee's Approval Rating Climbs to 56.5% Amid Property Market Measures: Details the Realmeter poll’s methodology and results, links the approval rise to Lee’s multiple‑home tax reforms and stock market gains, and highlights his X commentary on housing policy.
2026-02-16 05:50:02+00:00

Timeline

Feb 2, 2026 – A Realmeter poll of 2,516 adults shows President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rise to 54.5% (up 1.4 pts) while his negative rating falls to 40.7%; the surge links to his reinstated higher capital‑gains tax on multiple‑home owners and the announcement of an extra 60,000 housing units for young families in the Seoul metropolitan area, which broadens regional support[4].

Feb 3, 2026 – In a cabinet meeting, Lee reaffirms his resolve to end the exemption from heavy capital‑gains tax for owners of multiple homes, warning that “rising home prices trap investment and distort the economy” and that “when housing prices soar, those without homes suffer,” positioning the tax change as essential to fair resource distribution[3].

Feb 3, 2026 – Lee addresses critics linking stock‑market gains to housing controls, noting the Korea Composite Stock Index’s swing from a >5 % drop to a >5 % rebound, and pledges to “ease regulations and increase financial aid for AI‑driven entrepreneurship” so societies that embrace challenge and failure can thrive in the AI era[3].

Feb 6, 2026 – A Gallup Korea poll of 1,001 adults records Lee’s approval slipping to 58% (down 2 pts) with a steady 29% negative rating; respondents cite the economy (16%) and real‑estate policy (11%) as primary concerns, reflecting mixed reactions to his multiple‑home tax crackdown[2].

Feb 16, 2026 – A Realmeter poll of 1,009 adults shows Lee’s approval climb to 56.5% (up 0.7 pts) and negative rating drop to 38.9%; Lee uses his X account to declare that “multiple‑home ownership has ‘more negative effects than positive ones’” and calls for removal of “unfair preferential treatment” in tax, finance and regulations, tying the gain to recent housing‑market measures and a rising stock market[1].

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