(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A former mayor of Seoul is South Korea's favourite presidential candidate, according to a poll by TNS Korea published in Chosun Ilbo. 39.4 per cent of respondents would vote for Lee Myung-bak of the conservative Grand National Party (GNP) in the next election.

Former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye is second with 27.6 per cent, followed by former Kyonggi governor Sohn Hak-kyu with 5.3 per cent, former Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young with 2.4 per cent, former prime minister Lee Hae-chan with 2.1 per cent, and current prime minister Han Myeong-sook with 1.6 per cent.

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.

Lee Myung-bak has called for South Korea to take a harder line on North Korea and to promote free-market policies. Park Geun-hye is currently serving her third term in the country's legislature. Her father, Park Chung Hee, was South Korea's president from 1963 to 1979. Sohn Hak-kyu, who is running as an independent, is also deemed a conservative-leaning candidate.

On Jul. 4, six pro-government candidates revealed they will all participate in a primary election and form a new party in order to counter the opposition's growing popularity. Sohn Hak-kyu—who defected from the GNP in March—made the announcement, saying, "Today is the day when we fasten the first button. Let us shake off small differences and go forward to the great sea of alliance."

The next presidential ballot is scheduled for Dec. 19. Roh is ineligible for a second term.

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