Gov. Lee, chief prosecutor in close race in presidential hopefuls poll

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl were in a neck-and-neck race for the lead in the latest poll of potential presidential candidates released Wednesday.

In a survey by Hangil Research & Consulting conducted from Saturday to Monday on 1,004 adults nationwide, the favorability for Gov. Lee stood at 25.5 percent, with Yoon trailing with 23.8 percent.

The difference was within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 1.7 percentage points.

Rep. Lee Nak-yon, head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and once the front-runner in various polls, trailed substantially with 14.1 percent to finish third.

In terms of region, Gov. Lee led the race in the Incheon and Gyeonggi region at 35.7 percent, while Yoon was most favored among Seoul respondents, logging a 24.3 percent rating. Yoon also led in the Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongnam region with 30.4 percent.

Rep. Lee pulled in at first place in his native southwestern Jeolla region, but Gov. Lee trailed closely within the margin of error with 25.3 percent.

President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating, meanwhile, stood at 40.7 percent, while his disapproval rating was at 56.9 percent.

In terms of favorability among parties, the DP came in first with 34.9 percent, followed by the main opposition People Power Party and the Justice Party, with 22.6 percent and 5 percent, respectively. The survey had a 95 percent confidence level.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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