A poll released on the 22nd showed that the support rates for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, and Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, have narrowed to within 10 percentage points.
According to a survey conducted by Realmeter at the request of the Energy Economics Newspaper from the 20th to the 21st, which targeted 1,012 voters aged 18 and above nationwide (with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points), the support rate for Lee Jae-myung was 48.1%, while that for Kim Moon-soo was 38.6%.
In this poll, the gap in support rates between Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo narrowed to 9.5 percentage points. Lee Jae-myung's support rate fell by 2.1 percentage points compared to the previous week, while Kim Moon-soo's support rate rose by 3 percentage points.
Lee Jun-seok, the Reform Party presidential candidate, was found to have a support rate of 9.4%. Benefiting from TV debate promotions, his support rate increased by 0.7 percentage points compared to the previous week, yet he failed to break into double digits.
Lee Jae-myung's comments during TV debates and campaign events, such as "the cost of coffee is 120 won" and "hotel economics," became controversial, leading to a noticeable loss of support among voters in the PK (Busan and South Gyeongsang Province), TK (Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province), Honam region, those in their 60s, and self-employed individuals, according to Realmeter's analysis.
In contrast, Kim Moon-soo's support rate is believed to have shown an upward trend due to the recent departure of former President Yoon Seok-yeol from the party, support from former representative Han Dong-hoon during campaigns, and the expectation of unification discussions with Lee Jun-seok.
Even in a hypothetical scenario considering the unification of Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jun-seok, Lee Jae-myung's support remained high. In terms of direct competition, Kim Moon-soo had an advantage.
In a hypothetical head-to-head match-up between Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo, Lee Jae-myung recorded a support rate of 50.3%, while Kim Moon-soo recorded 43.5%. In a hypothetical head-to-head match-up with Lee Jun-seok, Lee Jae-myung recorded 49.5%, while Lee Jun-seok had 37.7%.
As the presidential election approaches in 12 days, voters' preferences are solidifying. When asked whether they intend to continue supporting their current candidate until the election, 88.7% responded that they would. Lee Jae-myung's support group had the highest loyalty at 94.7%, followed by Kim Moon-soo (88.6%) and Lee Jun-seok (80.4%).
This survey was conducted using a 100% wireless automated response method, with a response rate of 9.5%. For more details, please refer to the website of the Central Election Polling Review Commission.