Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, proposes an emergency meeting with other presidential candidates to discuss the issue of drawing up an extra budget for pandemic-hit small merchants during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul last Friday. (Yonhap)
Seven confidants of ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Monday they will not take any appointed post even if Lee is elected, as they appealed for support for Lee amid sluggish support.
The pledge from the seven former and current lawmakers, including the ruling Democratic Party's secretary-general Rep. Kim Young-jin and Rep. Jung Sung-ho, came as main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol has overtaken Lee in opinion polls.
Earlier in the day, a survey showed Yoon is leading Lee with 42 percent support against Lee's 36.8 percent.
Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) gained 1.4 percentage points from the previous week, while Lee of the DP edged up 0.1 point, according to the Realmeter survey conducted on 3,046 adults from Jan. 16 to 21.
Yoon led Lee by 5.2 percentage points, which was outside the margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. (Yonhap)
