[AK Opinion Poll] Yoon Seok-yeol's Approval Rating Recovers After Hiatus... Lee Jae-myung's Stagnation in the Battle of Rise and Fall

Yoon Seok-yeol Gains Collateral Benefit Amid Clash Between Lee Jae-myung and Lee Nak-yeon
Surpasses Lee Jae-myung Within Margin of Error
Leads for the First Time in Direct Confrontation with Lee Nak-yeon

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] A poll has shown that the approval rating of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who has been refraining from public activities and lying low, has rather rebounded. It appears he has benefited from the negative exchanges in the Democratic Party presidential primary, known as the ‘Myeong-Nak Battle.’ Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung’s approval rating remains low, failing to show an upward trend. Ultimately, those hoping for a regime change seem to be rallying around former Prosecutor General Yoon.

According to a poll conducted by Asia Economy through Win-G Korea Consulting from the 21st to 22nd, surveying 1,024 voters nationwide aged 18 and over (100% mobile phone virtual numbers, automated response), former Prosecutor General Yoon recorded 27.7%, slightly ahead within the margin of error of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung’s 26.7%. Compared to the same poll conducted on the 25th-26th of last month, Yoon’s rating rose by 3.4 percentage points, while Lee’s dropped by 1.9 percentage points.

The criticism against Governor Lee increased amid the ruling party candidates’ disputes, including controversy over the appointment of Hwang Kyo-ik to the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization and the ‘mukbang’ controversy during the Coupang logistics center fire. Yoon’s approval rating had reached 33.3% around mid-June before his political participation declaration but had been declining since, only to show signs of recovery this time.

In a hypothetical one-on-one contest with Governor Lee, former Prosecutor General Yoon garnered 45.5% support, leading Lee’s 40.7% within the margin of error. Compared to the same poll conducted on the 7th-8th, Yoon’s rating increased by 4.2 percentage points, while Lee’s decreased by 1.1 percentage points.

In a hypothetical one-on-one contest between former Prosecutor General Yoon and former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, Yoon received 46.8% support, surpassing Lee Nak-yeon’s 41.1%. This is the first time in four polls conducted by Asia Economy that Yoon has led in a hypothetical matchup against Lee Nak-yeon.

Regarding suitability for the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Governor Lee’s support dropped by 3.2 percentage points to 30.1% compared to the previous poll (7th-8th), while former leader Lee Nak-yeon’s support rose by 1.9 percentage points to 22.5%. The gap narrowed to 7.6 percentage points. In the conservative opposition presidential candidate suitability poll, former Prosecutor General Yoon’s support rose by 4.5 percentage points to 28.8%, and People Power Party lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo’s support increased by 4.8 percentage points to 22.1%. Hong is showing a noticeable upward trend. Former Chairman Choi’s rating fell by 2.7 percentage points to 6.4%.

The response rate for this survey was 7.0%, and the sample was extracted based on weighted values by gender, age, and region according to the resident registration population data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as of the end of January. The sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For detailed survey information, please refer to the Win-G Korea Consulting website or the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.