Home > National > Politics

DP's presidential candidate holds commanding lead in polls

Published: 13 May. 2025, 14:00 Updated: 13 May. 2025, 18:19

This composite photo shows, from left, Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the People Power Party and Lee Jun-seok, presidential candidate of the minor Reform Party. [YONHAP]

Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung holds a commanding lead in the first presidential approval poll released since official candidate registration, a new survey showed Tuesday.

Lee garnered 49.5 percent support in a nationwide survey of 1,513 adults conducted between Sunday and Monday, according to polling firm Hangil Research, commissioned by Global Economic. People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo trailed at 38.2 percent, while Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party received 5.7 percent.

The gap between Lee and Kim stood at 11.3 percentage points, placing it outside the survey’s margin of error. Other candidates accounted for 1.5 percent, 3.1 percent of respondents said they supported none of the candidates and 1.9 percent were undecided.

When asked about the preferred outcome of the election, 51.1 percent said they supported a change in government led by the DP, compared to 38.3 percent who preferred a continuation of the PPP administration.

In terms of party support, the DP led with 42.5 percent, followed by the PPP at 36.8 percent. The Reform Party was third at 3.9 percent, followed by the Rebuilding Korea Party at 2.2 percent, the Jinbo Party at 1.0 percent and other parties at 2.6 percent. Respondents with no party preference accounted for 9.9 percent.

The survey also found that 58.4 percent of respondents supported former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to leave the PPP, while 30.3 percent opposed it.

The poll was conducted using automated response calls to mobile virtual numbers. The margin of error is ±2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, and the response rate was 6.4 percent. Full details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]