Widening Gap in Gangwon Governor Candidate Support: Kim Jin-tae 46.7% vs Lee Kwang-jae 38.2%

Widened by 0.7%p Compared to Survey Results on the 25th and 26th of Last Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] A public opinion poll has revealed that the gap in approval ratings between Kim Jin-tae, the People Power Party candidate for Gangwon Province governor, and Lee Kwang-jae, the Democratic Party candidate, has widened beyond the margin of error.

In particular, Kim Jin-tae leads Lee Kwang-jae across all regions of Gangwon Province.

According to a survey conducted by Gangwon Ilbo through the polling agency Realmeter on the 28th and 29th of last month, targeting 1,012 men and women aged 18 and older residing in Gangwon Province (with a sampling error of ±3.1% at a 95% confidence level), Kim Jin-tae of the People Power Party recorded 46.7% support, surpassing Lee Kwang-jae of the Democratic Party, who received 38.2%, by 8.5 percentage points?outside the margin of error.

Other candidates accounted for 1.9%, and undecided voters made up 13.2% (no preference 9.3%, don't know 3.9%).

Kim led in all regions: Wonju area (Kim 47.2%, Lee 39.1%), Chuncheon area (Kim 44.4%, Lee 37.9%), Gangneung area (Kim 46.7%, Lee 38.7%), and Samcheok area (Kim 49.6%, Lee 35.6%), with Kim maintaining support in the 40% range across all zones.

Lee, despite his political base in the Wonju area, trailed Kim and recorded support in the 30% range. By age group, Lee received strong backing from those in their 40s (50.3%) and 50s (58.0%), while Kim was actively supported by those aged 60 and above (71.0%).

When asked about the likelihood of winning the Gangwon Province governor election, 48.6% of respondents chose Kim, while Lee received 38.6%, showing a 10 percentage point gap beyond the margin of error.

The gap between the two candidates widened by 0.7 percentage points compared to the previous poll conducted by the same agency (Realmeter) on the 25th and 26th of last month, which showed a 7.8 percentage point difference (95% confidence level ±3.5%).

Earlier, in a poll commissioned by MBN and conducted by Realmeter on the 25th and 26th targeting 805 men and women aged 18 and older residing in Gangwon Province, Kim recorded 48.8% support, and Lee 41.0%, with the gap of 7.8 percentage points outside the margin of error (95% confidence level ±3.5%).

Following were 'don't know' at 4.2%, 'no preference' at 3.3%, and 'other candidates' at 2.7%.

Meanwhile, the People Power Party also held an advantage in party support. In this poll, when asked which party respondents support or favor, 47.8% chose the People Power Party, 32.1% the Democratic Party, followed by the Justice Party at 2.5%, other parties at 1.4%, and non-affiliated voters at 16.2% (no preference 14.2%, don't know 2.0%).

For more details, please refer to the website of the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission.