People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo is narrowing the gap with his Democratic Party of Korea rival Lee Jae-myung in the final polls before the June 3 election.
In a Gallup Korea poll taken May 24-25 of 1,004 prospective voters, Kim and Lee were at 35 percent and 49 percent, respectively -- a 14 percentage point difference.
In another poll by Next Research surveying 1,003 voters on May 23-25, Kim was behind Lee by 9 percentage points at 35.9 percent to Lee's 44.9 percent.
After the second televised debate, polls showed a neck-and-neck race between Kim and Lee in key battleground regions including Seoul.
The results show the race tightening with just a week to go until Election Day.
Lee was polling as high as 50 percent -- more than 20 points ahead of Kim -- in the first week after the People Power Party finalized its presidential nomination on May 11.
More about the polls can be found on the National Election Commission website.
arin@heraldcorp.com
