A poll released on the 12th showed the Democratic Party of Korea surpassing the People Power Party in support ratings in the traditionally conservative Daegu-North Gyeongsang (TK) region.
The National Barometer Survey (NBS), conducted by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research from the 9th to 11th of this month among 1,002 adults aged 18 and over nationwide, found the Democratic Party leading with 29% support in the TK region, 4 percentage points ahead of the People Power Party at 25%.
In the previous survey, both parties were tied at 28% in the region. The reversal means the Democratic Party now leads the People Power Party in all regions for the first time in two weeks.
Nationwide party support showed the Democratic Party at 43%, down 2 percentage points from the previous survey. The People Power Party remained unchanged at 17%.
President Lee Jae-myung's job approval rating held steady at 67%, matching the post-inauguration high recorded in the previous survey. Trust in the president's governance rose 4 percentage points to 66%, while distrust fell 4 percentage points to 29%.
On the upcoming local elections, 50% of respondents said they should "support the ruling party for government stability," while 35% said they should "support the opposition to keep the government in check."
Regarding the timing of administrative integration of South Chungcheong-Daejeon and Daegu-North Gyeongsang pending in the National Assembly, 55% said it "should proceed after local elections," while 27% said it "should be processed swiftly."
Opinion was evenly split on the three judicial reform bills (law distortion crime, Supreme Court justice expansion, and constitutional complaint reform) pushed through by the Democratic Party, with 42% saying they are "necessary" and 41% expressing "concern."
The NBS survey was conducted via telephone interviews using mobile virtual numbers (100%), with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The response rate was 17.3%. Details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Committee website.