Seoul: Former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung kept a wide lead in approval ratings among presidential hopefuls for the June 3 election, a survey showed Thursday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the National Barometer Survey (NBS) indicated that Lee led the poll with 41 percent, marking the first time the figure surpassed the 40 percent mark in an NBS poll. Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) came next with 10 percent, followed by former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon with 8 percent.

In the same survey, 39 percent of the respondents favored the PPP holding on to power, while 50 percent voted for a regime change. Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was not included in the survey amid growing speculations over his possible candidacy.