hankyoreh

Approval ratings for President Roh Moo-hyun have been rising rapidly following the conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States on Monday.

In an MBC TV-Korea Research Center poll of 700 adults conducted on Tuesday, 32.2 percent supported Roh's management of state affairs, marking a steep ascent from 22.2 percent tallied in February.

Over 80 percent of the respondents voiced optimism that the National Assembly will ratify the South Korea-U.S. FTA deal this year, the poll showed.

In a separate poll of 1,000 adults carried out by KBS TV and Media Research shortly after the deal was reached, Roh garnered an approval rating of 32 percent, up 8.9 percentage points from a similar survey held on Feb. 23. His approval rating was particularly high among those in their 20s and 60s.

The rating surged to 29.8 percent in a Chosun Ilbo-Gallup Korea poll of 708 adults held on Tuesday, rising by 6 percentage points from February.

The surge seems to have taken even Roh and his aides by surprise.

"We're stimulated by the rising approval ratings for the president," said presidential spokesman Yoon Seung-yong. "We're embarrassed as even anti-government media poured compliments on the president following the conclusion of the FTA deal. But the president and Cheong Wa Dae won't be shaken by the fluctuating public approval ratings. We'll continue to stick to the principles in state affairs and policies."

Roh has said that he won't be bothered by the ups and downs in his approval ratings.

"I've given up (efforts to raise) my approval ratings. So far I've worked hard to be supported by as many people as possible, but failed. I will not heed the popularity issue from now. I'll instead enforce policies in accordance with my conviction and conscience," the president said in a media interview in late February.

In a special statement to the nation on Monday, Roh also said he made the FTA decision at the risk of losing his political support at home.

Some political watchers, meanwhile, speculate that the rising approval ratings may give further momentum to Roh's reform policies in his final year in office and have a significant impact on the presidential election in December.

Seoul, April 4 (Yonhap News)