Seoul, Aug 5 (IANS): South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating has sunk to the lowest since he took office in May, amid controversies over his personnel appointments and leadership turmoil in the ruling party, a poll revealed on Friday.

Yoon's approval rating came to 24 per cent, down 4 percentage points from the previous week, while 66 per cent negatively assessed his handling of state affairs, up 4 percentage points, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The poll was conducted by Gallup Korea on 1,001 voters nationwide from Tuesday to Thursday.

The President's approval rating more than halved from 53 per cent and his disapproval rating doubled from 33 per cent since the second week of June.

In Friday's poll, the rate of negative assessment was higher in most of responding groups, except for those in their 70s or above and ruling People Power Party (PPP) supporters.

As reasons for disapproval, Yoon's personnel choices were cited the most at 23 per cent, followed by lack of experience and qualifications at 10 per cent, dogmatism at 8 per cent and inadequate communication at 7 per cent.

The government's recent push to lower the elementary school entry age to five and the lack of efforts to look after people's livelihoods were both cited by 5 per cent of respondents.

Gallup said various issues, including the school entry age controversy, are behind the increase in Yoon's disapproval rating, though he is on summer vacation this week.