President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rose slightly to 61 percent, a survey showed Thursday. In a National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted from Monday to Wednesday, the positive assessment of Lee's performance edged up 2 percentage points from a poll conducted two weeks earlier, while the negative assessment fell 3 percentage points to 29 percent. The approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea dropped 2 percentage points to 39 percent, while support for the main opposition People Power Party rose 3 percentage points to 23 percent. In terms of economic policies, support measures for the vulnerable and socially disadvantaged groups received the highest positive assessment at 62 percent, followed by policies to support small merchants and small and medium-sized enterprises at 50 percent, and job-related policies at 46 percent. On future ties with China, 48 percent replied Seoul should distance itself from Beijing in consideration of the security situation and the South Korea–U.S. alliance, while 46 percent said it should maintain friendly ties with China for economic re