Lee Jae Myung Leads Presidential Suitability with 42%... Han Ducksoo 13%, Han Donghoon 9%, Kim Moonsoo 6% [NBS]

Lee Jae Myung's suitability rises by 1 percentage point from last week
Han Ducksoo, Acting President, ranks second with 13%
Lee Jae Myung maintains mid-40% support in three-way races

The percentage of respondents who chose Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party candidate, as the next president reached 42%.

Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is talking with participants about the difficulties of office workers at the 'Wise Leaving Work Life' meeting held at a studio in Guro-gu, Seoul on April 30, 2025. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

On May 1, Embrain Public, KSTAT Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research announced the results of the National Barometer Survey (NBS), which was conducted from April 28 to 30 among 1,000 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide. The response that Lee is the most suitable candidate rose by 1 percentage point compared to the previous week, surpassing 40% for the second consecutive week.

Han Ducksoo, Acting President and Prime Minister, who is expected to announce his presidential bid on May 2, recorded 13%. Han Donghoon, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate, had a suitability rating of 9%, while Kim Moonsoo recorded 6%. Lee Junseok, the Reform Party's presidential candidate, had 2%. 18% responded that they did not know or did not answer.

Among supporters of the Democratic Party and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, 89% and 82%, respectively, said Lee is the most suitable candidate for the next president.

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Ducksoo is attending and speaking at the Security-Related Ministers' Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on May 1, 2025. 2025.5.1 [Provided by the Prime Minister's Office]

Among People Power Party supporters, Han Ducksoo had the highest suitability as the next president with 32%. He was followed by Han Donghoon with 21% and Kim Moonsoo with 15%.

In a hypothetical three-way race between Lee Jae Myung, Han Ducksoo, and Lee Junseok, Lee Jae Myung's support was 46%, Han Ducksoo's was 31%, and Lee Junseok's was 6%.

In a hypothetical three-way contest among Lee Jae Myung, Han Donghoon, and Lee Junseok, the support rates were 45% for Lee Jae Myung, 24% for Han Donghoon, and 6% for Lee Junseok.

When assuming a three-way race among Lee Jae Myung, Kim Moonsoo, and Lee Junseok, the support rates were 46% for Lee Jae Myung, 25% for Kim Moonsoo, and 8% for Lee Junseok.

Yonhap News

In the survey on favorability toward presidential candidates, Lee Jae Myung received the highest response rate at 46%. He was followed by Han Ducksoo at 31%, Han Donghoon at 26%, Kim Moonsoo at 25%, and Lee Junseok at 16%.

Party support was within the margin of error, with the Democratic Party at 39% and the People Power Party at 34%. Support for the Democratic Party rose by 1 percentage point from the previous week, while support for the People Power Party fell by 1 percentage point.

The NBS survey was conducted through telephone interviews using 100% mobile virtual numbers, with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The response rate was 19.3%.