Lee Jae-myung, the frontrunner to become South Korea's next president, is leading the polls

Latest opinion polls show that Lee Jae-myung, the leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party, is the front-runner to become the country's next president.

According to a Realmeter poll released Monday (March 3), Lee Jae-myung is the most popular candidate for the next presidential election, with 46.3% support. He lost the 2022 presidential race by less than 1 percent.

Employment and Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo ranked second with 18.9 percent. Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the ruling People Power Party, was third with 6.9 percent. Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo (6.8 percent), Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (5.1 percent), and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min (2.1 percent) followed.

The poll was conducted Feb. 26-28 and collected the opinions of 1,506 voters over the age of 18 nationwide. In a simulation of the two candidates running against each other, Lee's support rate was higher than that of other ruling party candidates.