Opposition, Reacting to Lee Jae-myung's Rapid Rise: "Soaring Overnight? Can't Trust the Flawed Poll"

Yoon Seok-yeol 40%, Lee Jae-myung 39.5% 'Neck and Neck'
Opposition: "Lee's Sudden Surge in Approval Ratings Is Strange"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, attended the 6th anniversary memorial ceremony held at the late President Kim Young-sam's gravesite in the National Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the 22nd, and were seen talking during the event. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Opposition figures expressed skepticism, saying "unbelievable," about a poll result showing the support gap between Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, has significantly narrowed.

Jang Sung-min, director of the World and Northeast Asia Peace Forum and a former candidate in the People Power Party presidential primary, wrote on Facebook on the 22nd, "How can we believe in such a poll that suddenly jumps like a sky hopper overnight?" He pointed out, "These days, there are many doubts about the reliability of polls."

Director Jang said, "When the support gap between candidate Lee and candidate Yoon was 20%, I wrote that candidate Lee would be eliminated, but in just two days, the gap narrowed to 0.5%," adding, "It is strange that a candidate who was suddenly on the verge of elimination without any reason suddenly shows a soaring trend in the polls, as if making a turnaround."

He continued, "Is this a desperate struggle to avoid elimination at all costs? Are we supposed to believe such polls now?" and said, "Fortunately, the reasons for regime change for democracy and a fair society are increasing."

Kim Young-hwan, a former lawmaker and head of talent recruitment for candidate Yoon's primary campaign, also mentioned the poll results on Facebook that day, claiming, "Believe this? Today's poll is completely bogus," and "Especially, the number of Democratic Party supporters is excessively counted."

He added, "How should we interpret a poll that fluctuates wildly overnight without any reason for falling or rising? Is there no way to regulate this misleading poll?"

Meanwhile, according to a poll conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) commissioned by TBS from the 19th to 20th, surveying 1,007 voters aged 18 and over nationwide on 'next presidential candidate support rates,' candidate Yoon recorded 40.0%, and candidate Lee 39.5%, showing a razor-thin gap of 0.5 percentage points within the margin of error, indicating a close race. Compared to the previous week, candidate Lee's support rose by 7.1 percentage points, while candidate Yoon's dropped by 5.6 percentage points, significantly narrowing the gap between the two candidates.

Regarding this poll, some analysts suggest that the convention effect for candidate Yoon, which continued after his nomination as the People Power Party presidential candidate, has faded, and with candidate Lee's support plateauing, a sense of crisis within the Democratic Party has intensified, leading to consolidation of the support base.

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