Lee Nak-yeon Leads Next Presidential Candidate Preference Poll with 34.5~29.4%... Unshakable No.1

Hwang Kyo-ahn 22.7~15.8% 2nd, Lee Jae-myung 8.8~6.9% 3rd
4th varies by polling agency including Hong Joon-pyo and Park Won-soon
Seoul Shinmun, OhmyNews, Newsis conduct New Year polls

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon is speaking at the first government opening ceremony of the new year held at the Government Seoul Office on the morning of the 2nd.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Jin-young] Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon has emerged as the undisputed leader with around 30% support in preference polls for the next presidential candidate conducted by major media outlets to mark the New Year.

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, ranked second with about 20% support, while Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, came in third with around 8% support.

From fourth place onward, the rankings varied depending on the polling agency, with former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon appearing in different positions.

Prime Minister Lee recorded support rates ranging from 34.5% to 29.4% in polls asking about preferred next presidential candidates.

According to a survey conducted by Seoul Shinmun through the polling agency Research & Research, targeting 1,010 adults aged 19 and older nationwide, 34.5% of respondents named Prime Minister Lee as the "most suitable figure for the next president."

In the '2020 New Year Special National Opinion Poll' conducted by Newsis through Realmeter on January 1, surveying 1,011 adults aged 19 and older nationwide, among 10 potential presidential candidates (five from the ruling and five from the opposition parties), Prime Minister Lee was the most preferred with 34.4% support.

OhmyNews, also commissioning Realmeter, surveyed 2,511 adults nationwide from December 23 to 27 on preferred next presidential candidates, finding Prime Minister Lee's preference at 29.4%.

Newsis analyzed that Prime Minister Lee has solidified his position as the top next presidential candidate by demonstrating field-oriented administration and cabinet leadership during his 2 years and 7 months as the first prime minister under the Moon Jae-in administration.

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, is giving a greeting at the "New Year's Greeting to the People" held in front of the National Assembly main building on the 2nd.
Photo by Yonhap News

Leader Hwang recorded the highest support of 22.7% in the Newsis poll and 20.1% in the OhmyNews poll. However, in the Seoul Shinmun poll, his support remained at 15.8%.

The gap between Prime Minister Lee and Leader Hwang ranged from 18.7 percentage points (Seoul Shinmun) to 9.3 percentage points (OhmyNews).

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung is giving a greeting speech at the 2020 New Year's Meeting held at the Central Party Office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 1st. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Jae-myung, who ranked third in all three polls, recorded 8.8% in both Newsis and OhmyNews polls and 6.9% in the Seoul Shinmun poll.

Although he did not reach 10% support, he maintained a gap from the fourth-place candidates, who failed to reach 5% support.

Former leader Hong Joon-pyo ranked fourth with 4.7% and 4.6% support in the Newsis and OhmyNews polls, respectively.

In the Seoul Shinmun poll, Mayor Park ranked fourth with 4.9%, while former leader Hong (4.2%) came in seventh behind Yoo Seung-min, head of the New Conservative Talent Recruitment Committee (4.6%), and former Bareunmirae Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo (4.3%).

Former leader Ahn, who announced his intention to return to politics that day, only garnered 3.3% in both Newsis and OhmyNews polls.

Sim Sang-jung, leader of the Justice Party, showed support ranging from 3.8% (Newsis) to 2.7% (OhmyNews).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.