Presidential Election Support Survey: Lee Jae-myung Leads with 45%… Kim Moon-soo Follows with 36%

In the public opinion poll on presidential candidates for the June 3 election released by Gallup Korea on the 23rd, Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, maintained his lead with 45%.

However, in just one week, candidate Lee's support rate dropped by 6 percentage points, while Kim Moon-soo, the candidate from the People Power Party, recorded a 7 percentage point increase to reach 36%, narrowing the gap.

Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate from the Reform Party, entered double digits with a 10% support rate, up 2 percentage points.

Gallup Korea conducted the survey from May 20 to 22, targeting 1,002 individuals aged 18 and above nationwide.

A Gallup Korea official analyzed, "The People Power Party's candidate selection process was slower than the Democratic Party's, and internal conflicts surrounding unification after the primary were prevalent. However, last weekend (May 17 and 18), the resignation of former President Yoon Seok-yeol and the first TV debate among presidential candidates seem to have served as a turning point."

Subsequently, issues such as 'hotel economy theory·coffee cost', 'debate proposal regarding candidates' spouses', 'Judge Jeon Gyu-yeon allegations', and 'candidate unification' appeared to have affected the election landscape.

Distinct Support Trends by Age and Occupation

While the gap between the top two candidates has narrowed, there remains clear differences in support trends across age groups. Candidate Lee Jae-myung demonstrated high support rates of around 60% among those in their 40s and 50s, and nearly half, at 47%, among those in their 30s.

In contrast, candidate Kim Moon-soo showed strong support of around 60% among those aged 60 and above. Candidate Lee Jun-seok notably received support from the youth demographic.

He garnered a support rate of 29% among those in their 20s and 17% among those in their 30s, while support among those aged 40 and above was only 2-6%. Additionally, there was a significant disparity in support rates between men (14%) and women (6%).

By occupation, candidate Lee Jae-myung saw an 11 percentage point drop from 58% to 47% among self-employed individuals, while candidate Kim Moon-soo increased his support from 32% to 42%.

In labor and service sectors, candidate Lee also experienced a decrease from 56% to 47%, while candidate Lee Jun-seok surged from 3% to 13%. Among students, candidate Lee Jun-seok recorded the highest support rate at 36%.

By political inclination, 83% of left-leaning individuals supported candidate Lee Jae-myung, while 65% of right-leaning individuals backed candidate Kim Moon-soo. Among centrists, candidate Lee Jae-myung received 49%, candidate Kim Moon-soo 25%, and candidate Lee Jun-seok 14%.

In the party support survey, the Democratic Party recorded 42%, the People Power Party 36%, the Reform Party 6%, the Justice and Innovation Party 2%, and the undecided group accounted for 13%.

Compared to the previous week, the Democratic Party's support decreased by 6 percentage points, while the People Power Party's support increased by 6 percentage points. The support rate for the Reform Party reached its highest point in the survey conducted since its establishment.

This survey was conducted using randomly selected wireless phone virtual numbers provided by three mobile telecommunications companies, with interviewers conducting direct interviews. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate is 17.4%. More detailed information can be found on the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Committee.

Image source: On the 21st, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, at a campaign event in Incheon / News1, On the 21st, Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, campaigning in Paju, Gyeonggi-do / News1 (Joint Coverage), On the 21st, Lee Jun-seok, the Reform Party presidential candidate, exits a student dining hall at Gachon University Global Campus in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do after having lunch with students, alongside Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party / News1.