Yoon leads Lee 41% to 34%: poll

Korea Times file

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung with support of 41 percent to Lee's 34 percent, a survey showed Friday.

Yoon of the conservative People Power Party gained 4 percentage points from last week, while Lee of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea lost 2 percentage points, according to the poll conducted on 1,007 adults from Tuesday to Thursday by Gallup Korea.

The gap between Yoon and Lee was outside the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

Gallup Korea said Yoon's support has been on a steady rise to the 41 percent polled this week, compared with 26 percent in the first week of January.

In comparison, Lee's support has hovered between 34 percent and 37 percent so far this year, Gallup Korea said.

Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party garnered support of 11 percent, up 2 percentage points from last week.

Sim Sang-jeung of the minor progressive Justice Party gained 1 percentage point to post 4 percent.

By age group, Lee won around half the support of voters in their 40s, while Yoon received similar support among those aged 60 and older, according to the survey.

Among voters identifying as moderates, Lee received 32 percent and Yoon 39 percent.

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell 1 percentage point from last week to 40 percent, while his disapproval rating rose by the same margin to 53 percent. (Yonhap)