President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell to 34 percent compared with a month earlier, a survey conducted jointly by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV showed Wednesday, as the country gears up for next week's parliamentary elections. The survey also indicated that the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) would secure 41 percent and 30 percent of the vote, respectively, if the April 10 parliamentary elections were held tomorrow. The result, falling outside the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, indicates a widening gap between the two rival parties, which were previously anticipated to be in close competition with the vote only a week away. Moreover, the survey reveals that 80 percent of respondents expressed a definite intention to cast their votes, marking a significant increase from 72 percent in February and 74 percent in March. Among those intending to vote, 39 percent plan to visit polling stations during the two-day early voting period that starts Friday, while 58 percent intend to vote on Election Day. According to the poll, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance was 34 percent, compared with 39 percent from the previous survey conducted a month ago. Meanwhile, the negative assessment went up 5 percentage points on-month to 61 percent. In terms of age demographics, the poll showed that Yoon's positive assessment experienced the most significant decrease among those in their 70s, falling from 67 percent a month ago to 58 percent. Regionally, the rating fell in all areas, except for respondents living in Gangwon Province, Jeju Island, and the central cities of Daejeon and Sejong. Additionally, the survey indicates that the PPP leads the DP by 2 percentage points in terms of approval rating. While support for PPP candidates dropped by 4 percentage points from the previous survey, support for DP candidates increased by 1 percentage point. Support for minor new parties remained at a relatively low level. Support for the Kor ea Innovation Party, a new party launched by Cho Kuk, the scandal-tainted former justice minister, came to 11 percent, followed by the New Reform Party with 3 percent. In the presumed two-way race for possible presidential candidates, DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung and PPP leader Han Dong-hoon had approval ratings of 37 percent and 31 percent, respectively. The survey showed 27 percent of the respondents had no preference. Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV jointly commissioned the survey to gauge public sentiment. The survey was conducted by Metrix on 1,000 adults aged 18 and older on Saturday and Sunday. Source: Yonhap News Agency
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