[AKYUNG Poll] Yoon Seok-yeol Surpasses Yoo Seung-min and Hong Joon-pyo... Dominates the Opposition Camp

Asia Economy Commissioned 'Opposition Presidential Candidate Suitability Survey' Results
Yoon Seok-yeol 25.5% ＞ Yoo Seung-min 11% ＞ Hong Joon-pyo 10.8% Order

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol has emerged as the top preferred candidate among opposition presidential hopefuls, surpassing existing opposition candidates in a poll on the next presidential election. Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min followed, with independent lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo showing a neck-and-neck race with Yoo.

According to a public opinion poll conducted by Asia Economy through Win-G Korea Consulting from the 15th to 16th, surveying 1,000 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, 25.5% of respondents considered Prosecutor General Yoon the most suitable next centrist-conservative opposition presidential candidate. Former lawmaker Yoo came next with 11%, followed by former lawmaker Hong at 10.8%. Other candidates included Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party (7.6%), former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (6.1%), and Kim Jong-in, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party (2.5%). The response of 'none' for a suitable candidate was also high at 24.5%.

Prosecutor General Yoon received balanced support from men (27%) and women (24%), with preference highest among those aged 50 and above. The 60s age group showed the highest support at 35%, followed by 50s at 32.1%, and those aged 70 and above at 32%. In contrast, the 18-29 age group recorded 18.3%.

Regionally, Yoon received overwhelming support of 43.4% in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, traditional conservative strongholds. In the conservative-leaning regions of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, he recorded 27.2%. Support was also high at 32.4% in the Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong area, which includes Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, known as Yoon’s father’s hometown. The perception that Yoon is the suitable next opposition presidential candidate was highest among People Power Party supporters at 52.3%. Even among those who responded that they do not support the president, preference was ahead at 44.7%.

This survey result is interpreted as reflecting Yoon’s position at the center of anti-Moon Jae-in sentiment, increasing his recognition as the representative opposition presidential candidate. Yoon’s presence grew after investigating former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s children’s admission corruption and private equity fund suspicions at the end of last year, clashing with the ruling party, and later escalating to a presidential candidate level through repeated direct confrontations with Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, existing opposition presidential candidates appear to have been overshadowed by Yoon’s issue, falling behind by a large margin. The support rates of former lawmaker Yoo and lawmaker Hong, who ranked second and third, were more than twice lower than Yoon’s. Yoo, whose hometown is Daegu, received only 7.3% support in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, while Hong, whose electoral district is Daegu, garnered 8.9% support.

Yoo received only 3.5% support among People Power Party supporters. In contrast, his preference was highest among supporters of the Democratic Party and the Open Democratic Party at 16.2% each. Among the so-called 'no party affiliation' group, who responded that they have no supporting party, Yoon led with 32.8%, but Yoo also recorded 9.7%, showing relatively higher support for Yoo among centrists, progressives, and the no-party group than among conservatives.

This survey was conducted nationwide among voters aged 18 and over from the 15th to 16th, with an overall response rate of 24.1%, totaling 1,000 respondents. The survey method was 100% mobile ARS using virtual phone numbers. The sample was extracted with weighted values by gender, age, and region based on the resident registration population as of the end of October 2020 by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (cell weighting). The sampling error is ±3.09 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For detailed survey information, refer to the Win-G Korea Consulting website or the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

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