People Power Party Support Hits Highest Since February
Democratic Party Falls Below 30% After 13 Weeks
Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party's presidential primary, is greeting merchants on the afternoon of the 18th at Masan Fish Market in Masanhappo-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam. 2021.9.18 [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] A public opinion poll released on the 20th showed that former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol surpassed Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung in suitability as the next presidential candidate after four weeks.
According to a survey conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute commissioned by TBS from the 17th to 18th, targeting 1,004 people nationwide aged 18 and older, former Prosecutor General Yoon's approval rating was 28.8%, while Governor Lee's was 23.6%, showing a close margin within the margin of error.
In this week's poll, former Prosecutor General Yoon's rating rose by 2.4 percentage points compared to the previous week, while Governor Lee's dropped by 4.2 percentage points. Governor Lee is currently under intense attack from both opposition and ruling parties due to recent allegations related to the Daegun district. On the other hand, although former Prosecutor General Yoon faced the so-called 'prosecution request' allegations, he countered with claims of National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won's involvement, which is interpreted as having helped him recover some of his support.
Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, who had shown a six-week consecutive rise, fell by 1.0 percentage point from the previous week to 15.4%, ranking third. Next was former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, who dropped 2.6 percentage points to 13.7%, placing fourth.
Following them were former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min (2.9%), former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae (2.9%), People’s Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo (2.4%), Justice Party lawmaker Shim Sang-jung (2.1%), and former Board of Audit and Inspection chief Choi Jae-hyung (1.6%).
In the suitability poll for the next presidential candidate among the conservative bloc, Hong recorded 30.0%, engaging in a neck-and-neck race with former Prosecutor General Yoon at 29.5%, leading Yoon within the margin of error for two consecutive weeks. They were followed by former lawmaker Yoo (9.8%), leader Ahn (4.1%), and former Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Kim Dong-yeon (2.8%).
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential primary candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, is answering questions from reporters after visiting a single mother facility in Nam-gu, Gwangju on the morning of the 18th. 2021.9.18 [Image source=Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, party support showed the People Power Party rising by 2.9 percentage points from the previous week to 39.0%, marking the highest level since the survey began in February. Conversely, the Democratic Party fell by 4.3 percentage points to 29.4%, breaking below the 30% mark for the first time in 13 weeks.
The margin of error for this survey is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more details, please refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.
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