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Poll results: Mayor Oh running strong

Published: 21 Mar. 2010, 22:58

In the race for his current job, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has the best chance to win against former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook of the Democratic Party, a survey by the JoongAng Ilbo showed over the weekend.

The newspaper polled 1,044 eligible voters in Seoul to find who would be the strongest GNP contestant to win the mayor post if up against Han.

The senior Democrat, who served as a prime minister for the Roh Moo-hyun administration from 2006 to 2007, said at end of last month that she would run in the June local elections for Seoul mayor.

She is currently being tried on charges of receiving bribes while she was in the prime minister’s office, and the outcome of the trial is expected to determine her fate as the DP’s Seoul mayoral candidate.

So far, four Grand Nationals have made public their run for the post. In addition to Oh, Representatives Won Hee-ryong, Na Kyong-won and Kim Choong-hwan have thrown their hats into the ring.

Asked who would be the best candidate for the GNP, 5 percent supported Kim, 13.4 percent backed Na, and Won was supported by 9.9 percent of those polled. Oh was far ahead, polling some 41.3 percent.

According to the poll, 49.1 percent of the voters said they would vote for Oh in a competition against Han and Roh Hoe-chan of the minority New Jinbo Party in a Seoul mayor election. Han was backed by 27.4 percent and Roh by 10 percent.

In race against Won, Han and Roh, the former prime minister would win, the poll showed. While 35.7 percent said they would vote for Han, 23.4 percent backed Won and 12.3 percent supported Roh.

The outcome of a contest between female candidates of the GNP and the DP was neck-and-neck.

While 34.9 percent said they will vote for Na, 31 percent said they will cast their ballots for Han and 10.4 percent said they would back Roh.

According to the poll, 53.7 percent of the voters said the ability to run the city is the most important factor in selecting the next Seoul mayor, while 35.7 percent said the candidate’s ethics and character matter most.

Another 10.5 percent said they value party affiliation or ideology as the most important criteria.

By Ser Myo-ja, Shin Chang-un [[email protected]]