Lee Jae-myung (right), presidential nominee for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, exchanges greeting with Yoon Seok-youl (left), presidential nominee for the main opposition People Power Party, during an event held in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, on Nov. 29. (Joint Press Corps)
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, is tied with his rival Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party at 36 percent support, a survey showed Friday.
Lee gained 5 percentage points from two weeks ago, while Yoon lost 6 points, in the survey of 1,000 adults conducted Tuesday to Thursday by Gallup Korea.
The other two mainstream candidates -- Sim Sang-jeung of the minor progressive Justice Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party -- each posted 5 percent.
Other hopefuls earned 4 percent, while 15 percent of the respondents refrained from answering.
By age group, Lee's support rate was highest among those in their 40s at 57 percent, while Yoon's was the highest among those aged 60 and above at 56 percent.
About a quarter of respondents in their 20s and 30s did not choose any candidate.
Of Lee's supporters, 22 percent said they chose the DP candidate for his drive and ability to execute tasks, while 15 percent cited his work and administrative ability.
Yoon's supporters chose regime change (27 percent) and fairness and justice (11 percent).
Support for each political party was nearly evenly split at 35 percent for the DP and 34 percent for the PPP.
When asked to assess President Moon Jae-in's job performance, 38 percent approved while 55 percent disapproved.
The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. (Yonhap)
