In 2-way race, Lee, Chung tied

December's presidential election would be far too close to call if it were held today ?but only if Chung Mong-joon, the vicechairman of FIFA, the international soccer federation, were in the race against the Grand National Party presidential candidate, Lee Hoi-chang. Mr. Chung is also an independent member of the National Assembly. The JoongAng Ilbo polled 1,052 people nationwide on Friday and Saturday; the poll's margin of error is 3 percent.

In a two-way battle between Mr. Lee and Mr. Chung, both would poll about 43 percent. Mr. Lee led Mr. Chung by 3.8 percent in the JoongAng Ilbo survey conducted in July. In a two-way race between Mr. Lee and Millennium Democratic Party presidential candidate Roh Moo-hyun, Mr. Lee would win 47 percent support and Mr. Roh, 38 percent. In a three-way race, Mr. Lee's support held steady at 40 percent, but Mr. Roh and Mr. Chung split the remaining vote at about 29 percent each.

Mr. Chung has not yet made any commitment to run for the presidency, but he announced Monday that he is giving careful consideration to the matter. "I am examining whether an independent politician can run for president," Mr. Chung said. He seemed to rule out any bid for the presidency except as an independent, saying that he would not participate in the new party promoted by the MDP if it is merely a coalition of anti-Lee Hoi-chang forces without a unifying ideology. He also sounded uninterested in taking on Roh Moo-hyun. "It is not right for the MDP to hold a run-off after electing a presidential candidate through a series of primary elections," he said.

The poll was designed to measure not only firm support, but also the direction voters were leaning. About 37 percent of the respondents said there was a possibility that they would change their views before election day, while 62 percent said they had made up their minds.

Voters in Gwangju, Seoul, South Jeolla province and Gangwon province were relatively less firm in their opinions, while more voters in Busan, Daegu and the Gyeongsang provinces, considered the Grand National Party's core areas, said they were not likely to change their minds. That sentiment was reflected in the firmness of support for Mr. Lee. Only 29 percent of those favoring him said their minds were not made up, while nearly half of Mr. Chung's supporters said they were wavering. Mr. Roh's support was between the other two in firmness.

More than a third of the respondents said that Mr. Roh should not surrender his nomination by the MDP and should run on its ticket; 21 percent would support a new party primary and 14 percent endorsed a new party led by Mr. Roh, the pollsters said.

by Ahn Boo-keun