South Korea's presidential race tightens as gap between key contenders narrows

Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung still appears to be the front-runner, although he lost some of his lead in the latest opinion polls, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, his main rival, ruling People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo has gained ground, with the election just eight days away.

Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party (NRP) has garnered double-digit support, according to a Realmeter survey.

The opinion poll showed support for the DP's Lee at 46.6%, followed by Kim with 37.6% and the NRP's Lee with 10.4%.

The margin of error was 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The NRP's Lee, who once served as a leader of the PPP, has declared that he would not drop his candidacy until election day.

Speculation, however, persists about a possible merger between the NRP and PPP candidates, a move that could turn the tables in favor of the ruling party.

The snap presidential election, triggered by the removal in April of President Yoon Suk Yeol by the country's Constitutional Court over his botched martial law bid in December, is scheduled for June 3.

Early voting will begin on Thursday.