With less than one month to go until the March 9 presidential election in South Korea, the two main candidates are locked in a neck-and-neck battle with voters disturbed by scandals hitting both camps and their mutual copying of pledges.

As the ruling Democratic Party's Lee Jae Myung and the main opposition People Power Party's Yoon Suk Yeol have been struggling to outperform their rivals in the race to pick the successor of President Moon Jae In, the outcome of the election is yet hard to predict.

Lee, 57, is a human rights lawyer who served as a governor of Gyeonggi Province, while Yoon, 61, is a former top prosecutor of the country.

Combined photo shows Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and Lee Jae Myung. (Kyodo)

"Overall, their pledges are similar and I don't even know if they are eager to realize them," said a 19-year-old Jang Seo Yoon, a male university student in Seoul, lamenting what appear to be empty promises by the two candidates.

Jang, who will join the army in May for mandatory military service, said he was "momentarily swayed" by Lee's proposal unveiled late last year to raise the monthly salary for soldiers to more than 2 million won ($1,670) in 2027, or about triple the current amount.

Yoon, however, announced the same idea two weeks later. Many people cast doubt on the feasibility of their pledges, because the salary increase for the soldiers could affect the pay system for their bosses including noncommissioned officers.

With no difference between the two candidates' policies on the salary issue, Jang said he is "inclined" to vote for Yoon as he thinks the policies that Moon's liberal administration has implemented to reduce discrimination against women have negatively affected men. "I'll have to wait and see," he added.

Another pledge that grabbed attention from young undecided voters, who are predicted to greatly impact election results, was a sharp increase in tax-free proceeds of virtual currency transactions originally pledged by Yoon.

Lee immediately followed Yoon's move and made the same pledge on cryptocurrencies that young people are enthusiastic about.

As measures against surging housing prices, both have also vowed to provide an ample supply of homes without elaborating on the financial resources to that end.

"The reason why (Lee and Yoon) quickly copy each other's policies is because they lack a vision for the nation based on their political experiences," said Kim Hyung Joon, a professor at Myongji University.

Though their policies on North Korea differ, voters are not placing a high priority on them.

According to a survey by polling firm Realmeter released on Monday, Yoon's approval rating was 43.4 percent, while support for Lee stood at 38.1 percent and for Ahn Cheol Soo of the People's Party, a centrist opposition party, at 7.5 percent.

Yoon gained slightly more support than Lee in other surveys too, but it is still difficult to make predictions.

Possible major developments that would hold the key in future election campaigns would be an alliance between Yoon and Ahn, which could deal a blow to the ruling party, and television debates that could expose the candidates' character flaws.

Reflecting high voter interest, the first TV debate held last week yielded a viewing rate of 39 percent.

With the scandals involving the two major candidates' wives still brewing, the future of the "foggy election," as termed by local media, remains highly uncertain.

Yoon's wife allegedly falsified qualifications on her resume, while Lee's spouse reportedly had a public official run her personal errands while her husband was governor.