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People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyuk speaks at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on Oct. 26. / Yonhap News

The People Power Party's approval rating surpassed that of the Democratic Party (DP) by a margin exceeding the margin of error for the first time in approximately four months. The gap between the two parties widened in the Seoul metropolitan area, while support for the PPP also increased among centrist voters, indicating a broadening of its support base.

In a party approval rating survey conducted by Realmeter at the request of The Asia Business Daily among 1,003 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide on Oct. 22–23, the PPP recorded 42.6%, compared with 36.0% for the DP. The gap between the two parties stood at 6.6 percentage points, exceeding the margin of error. This marked the first time in approximately four months, since the second week of June, that the PPP had led the DP by a margin exceeding the margin of error in a Realmeter survey.

The PPP's lead was particularly pronounced in the Seoul metropolitan area. In Seoul, the PPP recorded 49.5%, leading the DP (31.1%) by 18.4 percentage points. In Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, the PPP rose 3.3 percentage points from the previous week to 44.7%, while the DP fell 4.1 percentage points to 35.4%.

A similar trend emerged among centrist voters. Support for the PPP among centrists rose 3.2 percentage points from 38.8% the previous week to 42.0%. In contrast, support for the DP fell 1.0 percentage point from 37.7% to 36.7%. As a result, the gap between the two parties among centrist voters widened from 1.1 percentage points the previous week to 5.3 percentage points this week.

The PPP believes that its continued criticism of the ruling party during the parliamentary audit period, along with public criticism of the Lee Jae-myung administration's real estate and stock market policies, influenced the trend in approval ratings. The party also attributes its rising support to efforts to minimize internal conflicts, maintain a united front and concentrate its criticism on the government and the ruling party.

A first-term lawmaker said, "The fact that lawmakers did not fight among themselves and instead worked as 'one team' to criticize the ruling party during the parliamentary audits affected the approval ratings."

PPP spokesperson Cho Yong-sul cited the DP's handling of livelihood issues, including real estate and stocks, as a factor behind the change in approval ratings. Cho criticized the party, saying, "The Democratic Party is neglecting livelihood issues such as real estate and stocks while focusing on political disputes and its own political interests. Public support is slipping away as disappointed voters see the party putting its own interests ahead of the issues that affect people's livelihoods."

He added, "At a time when people are facing widespread difficulties with the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter, the Democratic Party's disregard for livelihood issues is leading centrist voters to withdraw their support."

Meanwhile, the party approval rating survey was conducted entirely through an automated response system (ARS) using mobile phones. The response rate was 3.2%, and the margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission (NESDC).

                                                                                                           Kim Dong-wook