Seoul, Dec 19 (IANS): South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating rose to 41.1 per cent, breaking through the 40 per cent threshold for the first time since June, a poll showed on Monday.

The positive assessment of Yoon's performance added 2.7 percentage points from the previous week, while the negative assessment slipped 2 percentage points to 56.8 pe rcent, according to the Realmeter survey.

It marked the first time in 24 weeks that Yoon's approval rating has exceeded 40 per cent, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Since hitting 44.4 per cent in the fifth week of June, the figure had stayed in the low 30 per cent range until late November.

The gain is attributable in part to recently announced reform plans in the areas of labour, pension and education, as well as criticism of the previous Moon Jae-in administration's health care policy, said Bae Cheol-ho, a senior analyst at Realmeter.

The poll also showed that the positive assessment of Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) rose to more than 40 per cent for the first time in 23 weeks, backed by the party's traditional support base among those aged 70 and older and in areas like Busan, Daegu, and the South and North Gyeongsang provinces.

On the favourability rating of political parties, the PPP garnered 41.4 per cent support, up 2.7 percentage points from the previous week, while the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) registered 43.7 per cent, down 1.5 percentage points.