Anchor: Nearly two months after the short-lived martial law was declared on December 3, the gap in support for the two rival parties has drastically narrowed as evident in a latest survey conducted by KBS. The main opposition Democratic Party(DP) won support from 37 percent of respondents, against the ruling People Power Party's 35 percent.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: A KBS survey conducted prior to the Lunar New Year holiday has found that approval ratings for the two major political parties is neck and neck within the margin of error, with 37 percent for the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) and 35 percent for the ruling People Power Party(PPP).

The minor Rebuilding Korea Party, Reform Party and Jinbo Party received eight, three and one percent, respectively.

While the gap between the DP and the PPP had significantly widened post-martial law and impeachment last month, support for the main opposition has since dropped five percentage points, while that for the ruling party rose eleven percentage points.

The proportion of those that do not support any particular party declined from 21 percent at the end of 2024 to 14 percent.

While support for the DP was prevalent among those considering themselves a liberal, and among those considering themselves a conservative for the PPP, 41 percent among self-proclaimed moderates supported the DP against 21 percent for the PPP.

Asked about the next presidential race, 39 percent said they support a nominee from the ruling side for recreation of government, against 50 percent who support an opposition candidate for a change of administration.

Thirty-five percent named DP chief Lee Jae-myung as the most suitable candidate, followed by Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo at 14 percent, former PPP chief Han Dong-hoon at seven percent, with PPP-affiliated Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, all trailing at five percent each.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and DP-affiliated Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon each won three percent, while a whopping 20 percent either said there was no fitting nominee or did not give a response.

The survey of one-thousand adults nationwide, commissioned by KBS and conducted by Hankook Research between January 24 and 26, had a confidence level of 95 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus three-point-one percentage points.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.