Those who disapproved of Moon's way of managing state affairs accounted for 12 percent of the total, up 3 percentage points from the previous week, according to Gallup Korea.

The opinion poll carried a confidence level of 95 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

The drop in Moon's approval rating marked the first of its kind in three weeks, but the 80 percent rating continues to mark one of the highest for a new president in his or her first year, the pollster has noted.

Moon came into office May 10, only one day after the presidential by-election caused by the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye over a bribery scandal.

The slight drop in the approval rating this week may have been attributed to the recent dispute over some of the president's nominees for new ministers, earlier forcing Moon to withhold appointing the disputed designates though he could have legitimately done so since Tuesday.

He appointed his new Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Thursday but only after another disputed designate, Labor Minister nominee Cho Dae-yop, withdrew.

With the drop in the president's approval rating, his ruling Democratic Party saw its public support dwindle slightly as well.

Of all respondents, 49 percent approved the ruling party, down 1 percentage point from the previous week.

It still remained far ahead of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, whose approval rating slipped 1 percentage point on-week to 9 percent.

The approval rating of the splinter Bareun Party also came to 9 percent, but it marked a 1 percentage-point gain.

The People's Party saw its approval rating continue to remain the lowest for all political parties despite a 1 percentage point gain to 5 percent.

The liberal opposition party is currently mired in a fake tip-off scandal in which at least two of its party members are suspected of crafting a fake testimony against the president and his son, Joon-yong, alleging the father had inappropriately, if not illegally, used his influence to find his son a job at a public agency. (Yonhap)