Lee holds steady lead as presidential voting nears

With just two weeks to go before early voting begins in the presidential race, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party maintains a solid lead over his rivals. In a recent poll measuring support for presidential candidates, Lee garnered 49%, followed by Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party (PPP) at 27%, and Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party at 7%. The poll, conducted after the PPP’s failed attempt to replace its nominee, shows Lee ahead of Kim by 22 percentage points, a lead outside the margin of error.

Despite the turmoil surrounding the candidate switch, Kim’s support rose 13 points from 12% the previous week. However, he failed to consolidate the 23% previously backing former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. Kim’s numbers also showed little movement compared to a previous three-way matchup, where he polled at 29%. Meanwhile, Lee Jun-seok has remained in single digits, recording 6%, 5%, and 7% over the past three weeks. The share of undecided voters stood at 16%, nearly unchanged from the prior week’s 15%.

The margin between the three candidates has remained largely consistent since before the parties finalized their nominations. In a late-April poll, Lee Jae-myung led with 46%, Kim with 25%, and Lee Jun-seok with 9%. Despite the conclusion of primary contests and the PPP’s candidate controversy, approval ratings have remained relatively stable.

Still, Kim Min-seok, co-chair of the Democratic Party’s campaign committee, urged caution. “We believe the gap in both two- and three-way races will gradually close,” he said. "The party is preparing for a potential last-minute alliance between Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jun-seok." Kim's comments appeared aimed at tempering talk of a runaway victory.

The PPP has made unification with Lee Jun-seok a top priority. However, the Reform Party candidate reaffirmed his commitment to staying in the race. “The PPP may try to impose a merger, but that kind of backroom dealing is exactly what’s wrong with two-party politics,” he said.


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