Polls & Research
Archive Search
Lee Remains Top Contender in South Korea
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Former Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak is still the most popular prospective presidential candidate in South Korea, according to a poll by the Korea Research Center. 46.4 per cent of respondents would vote for the Grand National Party (GNP) member in this year's election.
Former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye is second with 20 per cent. Support is considerably lower for former Kyonggi governor Sohn Hak-kyu, former Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young, former justice minister Kang Kum-sil, current prime minister Han Myeong-sook, Democratic Labour Party (DLP) member Kwon Young-ghil, and current Uri Party chairman Kim Geun-tae.
Roh Moo-hyun won the December 2002 presidential election with 49 per cent of all cast ballots as a candidate for the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP). In February 2004, Roh severed ties with the MDP and publicly voiced his support for the Uri Party. Lawmakers from the MDP and the GNP successfully voted to initiate impeachment procedures against Roh. Former prime minister Goh Kun briefly took over as interim president before the country's Constitutional Court ruled in favour of Roh.
In January, Roh voiced his intention of proposing a constitutional amendment to alter presidential term limits, clearly stating he does not intend to use the legislation to seek a new term himself.
On Jan. 11, Lee refuted the president's argument that a constitutional reform is required, saying, "We are not at any critical juncture. We should concentrate on reviving our economy and can't waste lots of time discussing a constitutional amendment."
The next presidential ballot is tentatively scheduled for December. Roh is ineligible for a second term.
Polling Data
Who would you support in the next presidential election?
Jan. 2007 | Dec. 2006 | |
Lee Myung-bak | 46.4% | 44.9% |
Park Geun-hye | 20.0% | 17.3% |
Sohn Hak-kyu | 5.8% | 3.3% |
Chung Dong-young | 3.3% | 1.5% |
Kang Kum-sil | 2.2% | -- |
Han Myeong-sook | 1.7% | -- |
Kwon Young-ghil | 1.7% | 1.4% |
Kim Geun-tae | 1.2% | 1.8% |
Source: Korea Research Center
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 2,000 South Korean adults, conducted on Jan. 30, 2007. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.
