SEOUL - The disapproval rating for South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol hit its highest level in about nine months in a major poll amid escalating questions over whether the First Lady inappropriately received a designer bag.

The disapproval rate for Mr Yoon rose to 63 per cent from 58 per cent in a weekly tracking poll by Gallup Korea released on Jan 26.

The polling group cited the “issue” around the First Lady as one of the drivers for the rise in the rate. 

The incident has cast a shadow over the President as his conservative People Power Party (PPP) is trying to wrest control of Parliament in an April election.

Mr Yoon has yet to speak publicly about a video that appeared to show his wife Kim Keon-hee receiving a Christian Dior bag, valued at about US$2,200 (S$2,950), from a Korean-American pastor in September 2022.

The video was shot with a hidden camera and released on the YouTube channel of a liberal political group, Yonhap News reported. 

PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said the video showed what appeared to be deliberate entrapment.

Mr Han added that there were aspects of it that could cause concern among the public, which briefly led to some friction with Mr Yoon, Yonhap and other local media reported.

Members of the Democratic Party have targeted the First Lady, and the party used its majority in Parliament to push through a measure calling for a special investigation into allegations of stock manipulation.

Mr Yoon vetoed the measure, and his wife has denied any wrongdoing.

South Korean presidents serve a single five-year term, and the April election will determine whether Mr Yoon can push through his agenda or if he will continue to face gridlock in the body for the three years left in his term.

If the PPP seizes control of Parliament from the opposition, it is likely to push through economic policies that include taking on powerful labour unions, reducing regulations on businesses, and tax cuts for companies and on real estate transactions. BLOOMBERG