(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul, Oct 17 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating inched down to 54 per cent, a survey showed Friday.

In a Gallup Korea survey of 1,001 adults conducted Tuesday through Thursday, the positive evaluation of Lee's performance declined 1 percentage point from the previous poll conducted in the fourth week of September, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The negative assessment of Lee rose 1 percentage point to 35 per cent.

Among the respondents, 16 percent who gave a positive evaluation cited the economy, while 18 per cent of those with a negative view pointed to diplomacy, followed by 8 per cent who criticized visa-free entry for Chinese tourists and what they viewed as pro-China policies.

Gallup noted that before the extended Chuseok holiday from October 3 to 9, negative sentiment largely focused on controversies surrounding Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's resignation.

In the latest survey, criticism related to policies on China and real estate were cited as reasons for negative assessment, it said.

The pollster also pointed out that public concerns over visa-free entry for Chinese nationals, a series of abductions and detentions of South Koreans in Cambodia and real estate measures announced earlier this week may have contributed to the negative sentiment.

The approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party each rose 1 percentage point to 39 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 per cent confidence level.

Last week, Lee Jae Myung visited a state data centre damaged by a major fire last month to inspect recovery efforts, the presidential office said.

Lee's visit to the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in the central city of Daejeon came as the government is ramping up efforts to restore online services as the fire destroyed major data storage systems, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Lee had originally taken the day off following the extended Chuseok holiday, which ended Thursday, but decided to visit the state data centre.

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