Poll shows 70% of South Koreans expect new president to perform well
Gallup Korea has released the results of its first poll about Lee, who took office on June 4. The survey of 1,000 people was conducted from Tuesday through Thursday.
When asked how Lee will execute his presidential duties during his term, seven out of ten respondents said that they expect him to perform well, while 24 percent said the opposite.
When a similar poll was conducted about former President Yoon Suk-yeol, 60 percent of the respondents said that they had high expectations of him.
But Lee's figure was lower than those of other former presidents. Moon Jae-in scored 87 percent in his poll, while both Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak received 79 percent in their surveys.
Lee did not have a transition period before he was sworn in, as former President Yoon Suk-yeol had been removed from office. Lee has not yet filled all of his Cabinet posts.
Observers are waiting to see whom Lee will pick for ministerial positions, and how he and his administration members will perform their duties.
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Japan Times
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Japan Times
an hour ago
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Japan Times
2 hours ago
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Chinese investors eyeing Indonesia to avoid tariffs and tap local market
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At the sprawling, more than 2,700-hectare Subang Smartpolitan industrial park in West Java, executives said it had been inundated with enquiries from Chinese investors. "Our phone, email and WeChat were immediately busy with new customers, agents wanting to introduce clients," once the U.S.-Indonesia trade deal was announced last month, said Abednego Purnomo, vice-president for sales, marketing and tenant relations of Suryacipta Swadaya, Subang Smartpolitan's operator. "Coincidentally, all of them were from China." Companies ranging from toy makers and textile firms to electric vehicle makers are scouring for facilities, particularly in West Java, the most populous province in Indonesia, which is home to the Patimban deep sea port. Chinese demand has pushed up prices of industrial real estate and warehouses by 15% to 25% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, the fastest rise in 20 years, according to Gao, from the land consulting firm. Rivan Munansa, the head of industrial and logistics services at the Indonesian arm of global property consultant Colliers International said that there was an urgency among Chinese firms to move and the company was getting inquiries for industrial land "almost every day" in the run-up to the tariff agreement. "Most of them (Chinese companies) are looking for immediate opportunities. So, they want land and a temporary building that can be used immediately, it's like a crash program,' Rivan said. Zhang said he signed up for a new four-floor office building in Jakarta in May at an annual rent of 100,000 yuan ($13,936), up 43% from last year, underscoring the pent-up demand. "The 19% level is lower than my expectation. I thought it would be 30%," Zhang said, referring to Indonesia's tariff deal and adding that net profit margins in China could be as little as 3%. "In Indonesia, it's relatively easy to achieve net profit margins of 20% to 30%." And then there's the growing pool of consumers with household spending making up more than half of Indonesia's GDP. The gauge accelerated slightly to 4.97% year-on-year in the second quarter, helped by several public holidays. "Indonesia has always stood out for a different reason. Beyond supply chain diversification, Indonesia offers what few others in the regions can: a massive domestic market," said Marco Foster, ASEAN director at Dezan Shira & Associates, an investment consultancy.
