As the deadline for registration of candidates for the June 3 presidential election on May 11 approaches in four days, a survey result released on the 7th showed that Kim Moon-soo, the candidate from the People Power Party, and Han Duck-soo, an independent candidate, are in a close competition within the margin of error regarding their suitability for unification.
However, among the supporters of the People Power Party, candidate Han is ahead of candidate Kim, while among the supporters of the Democratic Party of Korea, candidate Kim is leading.
According to a survey conducted by Korea Gallup on 1007 people at the request of News1 on the 4th and 5th, and announced on the 7th, the preference for candidate unification showed 38% for candidate Kim and 37% for candidate Han.
However, preferences varied by political affiliation. Among supporters of the People Power Party, candidate Kim had 31% and candidate Han 65%. However, among Democratic Party supporters, candidate Kim was favored by 45% compared to 19% for candidate Han. Among supporters of the Rebuilding Korea Party, candidate Kim received 67% and candidate Han 14%.
By political orientation, among respondents who identified as being from the 'conservative group,' the preference for candidate unification showed candidate Kim at 35% and candidate Han at 55%. However, among respondents who identified as 'progressive,' candidate Kim was at 46% and candidate Han at 23%. In the centrist group, candidate Kim received 37% and candidate Han 32%, within the margin of error.
On the same day, a different survey conducted by Research and Research at the request of Dong-A Ilbo on 1003 people from the 4th to the 5th also showed varied preferences by support group.
In this survey, when asked who would be more suitable as a unified candidate between Kim and Han, candidate Han received 27.6%, while candidate Kim received 25.9%. The neutral group, responding with 'none' or 'not sure,' was at 46.5%.
However, in the suitability survey for a unification candidate targeting the People Power Party supporters and centrist group, candidate Han was at 46% and candidate Kim was at 25.8%. Candidate Han garnered 53.1% support from People Power Party supporters and 30.1% from the neutral group. Candidate Kim received 30.8% support from People Power Party supporters and 14.8% from the neutral group.
By political orientation, among respondents who identified as being from the 'conservative group,' candidate suitability showed candidate Han at 45.4% and candidate Kim at 28.9%. Among respondents identifying as 'progressive,' candidate Kim was at 24.4% and candidate Han at 11.4%, showing a stark contrast. In the centrist group, candidate Kim was at 28.5% and candidate Han at 26.1%, within the margin of error.
The Korea Gallup survey was conducted via telephone interviews using mobile virtual numbers (100%), with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and a response rate of 15.8%. The Research and Research survey was conducted via telephone interviews using mobile phones (100%), with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and a response rate of 10.0%.
For more details, refer to the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.