Yoon Seok-yeol at 17.2%... Forming a Three-Way Race with Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jae-myung

Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jae-myung Tie for First Place in Presidential Preference at 21.5%

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] In a preference survey for the next presidential candidate, Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol maintained his position as the top candidate in the opposition by setting a new personal record. Along with Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, who jointly hold the top spot across both ruling and opposition parties, a three-way competition atmosphere is forming.

According to Realmeter's survey commissioned by OhmyNews, conducted from the 26th to the 30th targeting 14 major politicians from both ruling and opposition parties, Prosecutor General Yoon recorded a preference rate of 17.2%, up 6.7 percentage points from the previous month, setting a new personal high and securing first place in the opposition. He narrowed the gap with Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jae-myung, who jointly led with 21.5%, forming a three-way competition.

By region, Prosecutor General Yoon showed notable increases in Incheon·Gyeonggi (8.3 percentage points), Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam (7.7 percentage points), and Daegu·Gyeongbuk (7.1 percentage points), and also rose by 4.7 percentage points in Gwangju·Jeolla, showing a balanced upward trend across almost all regions. By ideological inclination, he showed a high increase of 10.4 percentage points among conservatives, and also rose among moderates (7.0 percentage points) and progressives (5.6 percentage points).

In the current situation where there is no clear frontrunner within the opposition such as the People Power Party, Prosecutor General Yoon, who continues to take a confrontational stance against the government and ruling party, is gaining increasing importance. In particular, Yoon's hint at entering politics seems to have influenced the rise in preference. Earlier, on the 22nd of last month, when asked about his intention to enter politics during the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's inspection of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Yoon said, "I will slowly think about how to serve society and the people after retirement." The political circles interpreted this statement as an intention to enter politics, and interest in Yoon's subsequent moves is growing.

Senior Expert Bae Cheol-ho of Realmeter analyzed, "Surpassing 15% in preference, he showed the so-called 'doorstep effect,' clearly imprinting his presence on voters," adding, "Yoon is not a self-luminous body but a reflective one; the ruling party has seemingly increased his preference through his remarks at the National Assembly inspection and conflicts with Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae."

Other candidates were recorded as follows: Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party (4.9%), Hong Joon-pyo, independent lawmaker (4.7%), Oh Se-hoon, former mayor of Seoul (3.6%), Hwang Kyo-ahn, former leader of the United Future Party (3.3%), Choo Mi-ae, Minister of Justice (3.1%), Won Hee-ryong, governor of Jeju Province (3.0%), Kim Kyung-soo, governor of Gyeongnam Province (2.2%), Yoo Seung-min, former lawmaker (2.2%), Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party (1.5%), Shim Sang-jung, lawmaker of the Justice Party (1.3%), and Kim Boo-kyum, former Democratic Party lawmaker (1.0%).

This survey contacted 58,906 adults aged 18 and over nationwide, with a final 2,576 respondents completing the survey, recording a response rate of 4.4%. The sampling error is ±1.9 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more details, refer to the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.

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