[AKYUNG Poll] Yoon Seok-yeol 36.3% > Lee Jae-myung 21.6% + Lee Nak-yeon 12.9%

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's Approval Rating
Higher Than Combined Support for Lee Jae-myung + Lee Nak-yeon

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol began his first public activities after stepping down as Prosecutor General by participating in early voting for the April 7 by-elections on the 2nd. It was revealed that Yoon's presidential approval rating is higher than the combined approval ratings of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and Standing Election Committee Chairman Lee Nak-yeon.

In a public opinion poll conducted by WinG Korea Consulting on behalf of Asia Economy from March 30 to 31, before the publication ban period, targeting 1,020 voters residing in Seoul, the question "Who is the most suitable candidate for the next president?" showed that former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol (36.3%) had a higher approval rating than the combined ratings of Governor Lee Jae-myung (21.6%) and Chairman Lee Nak-yeon (12.9%). The gap between Yoon and the second-place Lee Jae-myung was 14.7 percentage points, which is beyond the margin of error.

Yoon received balanced support from both men (39.9%) and women (32.9%) and was the most preferred candidate in all age groups except for those in their 40s. Notably, support for Yoon increased with age, with the highest approval among seniors aged 70 and above (55.3%), followed by those in their 60s (48.4%), 50s (39.1%), 30s (28.8%), and 20s (28.5%). The only exception was the 40s age group, where Lee Jae-myung (38.3%) led over Yoon Seok-yeol (26.0%).

Those with strong anti-government tendencies showed higher support for Yoon. Among respondents who said they do not support the president, 59.4% supported Yoon, whereas only 6.7% of those who support the president backed Yoon. This can be interpreted as a significant portion of voters with anti-government sentiment, formed due to disappointment over the LH scandal and real estate policies, expressing support for Yoon.

By political party, among supporters of the People Power Party, Yoon Seok-yeol's support was overwhelmingly high at 68.4%, followed by Hong Joon-pyo (6.5%), Ahn Cheol-soo (6.1%), Oh Se-hoon (5.4%), and Yoo Seung-min (3.7%). Among Democratic Party supporters, Governor Lee Jae-myung led with 45.1%, followed by Lee Nak-yeon at 31.5%, Choo Mi-ae at 6.5%, and Chung Sye-kyun at 1.7%.

As suitable candidates for the next president, Yoon Seok-yeol, Lee Jae-myung, and Lee Nak-yeon were followed by Ahn Cheol-soo (5.4%) and Hong Joon-pyo (4.0%). Next were Choo Mi-ae and Oh Se-hoon (3.0%), Yoo Seung-min (2.5%), Chung Sye-kyun (2.0%), Shim Sang-jung (1.7%), and Won Hee-ryong (0.7%). Other candidates accounted for 1.1%, while 2.8% responded "none," and 2.9% said "don't know."

Under the Public Official Election Act, the publication of public opinion poll results is prohibited from April 1 to 8 p.m. on April 7. However, it is permissible to publish or report on survey results conducted before March 31 during this period. This poll, commissioned by Asia Economy to WinG Korea Consulting, was conducted from March 30 to 31 among 1,020 men and women aged 18 or older residing in Seoul. It was conducted using 100% mobile phone virtual number ARS method, with the sample based on the resident registration population statistics from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as of the end of January. Weighting was applied by gender, age, and region (cell weighting), with a response rate of 6.8% and a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

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