[AK News Poll] Yoon Seok-yeol's Support Stalls, Neck-and-Neck with Lee Jae-myung

Multi-Candidate Race: Lee Narrowly Leads Yoon
Head-to-Head: Yoon Leads by 3.6%P, Advantage Within Margin of Error

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Amid speculation that former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is about to declare his presidential bid, his approval rating has slightly stalled. There is little change in the approval rating of Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party’s leading presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, but the gap between the two is narrowing. In the opposition camp, there is speculation that Yoon will make an official announcement of his candidacy as early as the end of June, given the stagnant approval ratings and changes in the leadership of the People Power Party.

According to a public opinion poll conducted by WinG Korea Consulting on behalf of Asia Economy from May 29 to 30, surveying 1,045 voters nationwide aged 18 and over, Lee (27.5%) and Yoon (27.3%) were in a close race within the margin of error as the most suitable candidates for the next president. Compared to the previous poll conducted in the third week of May, Lee’s approval rating rose slightly by 0.4 percentage points with little change, while Yoon’s approval rating dropped by 3.2 percentage points.

When narrowed down to just Lee and Yoon, Yoon maintained a slight lead within the margin of error in a head-to-head matchup. Yoon led with 45.1% compared to Lee’s 41.4%, a 3.6 percentage point advantage. However, this gap has significantly narrowed compared to the 7.2 percentage point difference recorded in the fourth week of April.

Meanwhile, Yoon has been continuing his public political activities, fueling speculation that his political debut is imminent. Known to be studying the presidential race by meeting with experts in social and economic fields, Yoon has recently intensified his political activities by holding public meetings with opposition politicians. Last week, he met consecutively with People Power Party lawmakers Kwon Seong-dong, Yoon Hee-sook, and Jeong Jin-seok, drawing attention to whether he is exploring joining the party. Yoon told his close aides, "It is true that I met with lawmakers, but nothing has been decided regarding joining the People Power Party or the timing of such a move," adding, "I am listening to opinions around me and carefully considering the matter."

Kwon, who recently met Yoon in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, told this outlet in a phone interview, "The very act of asking to meet a senior People Power Party lawmaker (myself) is a political act," and added, "If the efforts of the newly formed party leadership align with his thoughts, he will join around late June or early July." When asked if Yoon has decided to join the People Power Party, Kwon replied, "Of course. Otherwise, there would be no reason to meet me." In political circles, it is widely expected that Yoon is waiting for the People Power Party’s leadership election to conclude in mid-June.

This survey was conducted via wireless ARS using 100% mobile phone virtual numbers, and the sample was extracted with weighted values by gender, age, and region based on the resident registration population as of the end of January 2021 from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (cell weighting). The sampling error is ±3.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For detailed survey information, please refer to the WinG Korea Consulting website or the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.