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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Lee Still First in South Korean Presidential Race
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Former Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak is heading the group of candidates seeking to serve as South Korea's president, according to a poll by Media Research published in The Korea Times and Hankook Ilbo. 44.5 per cent of respondents would vote for Lee of the conservative Grand National Party (GNP) in this year's ballot.
Former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye is second with 37.2 per cent, followed by former Kyonggi governor Sohn Hak-kyu with 4.9 per cent, and former prime minister Lee Hae-chan with 2.3 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.
An internal primary for GNP members will take place today to decide whether the party should back Lee or Park in the upcoming presidential election. A group of senior party officials has drafted a resolution that would force losing candidates to support the winning contender, in the hopes of ending a polarizing campaign that has seen Lee and Park publicly assail each other's reputation.
On Aug. 17, Lee Myung-bak acknowledged that the process has been difficult, declaring, "I have been attacked with various ill-founded allegations during the last six months. You voters helped me endure the tough times." Park Geun-hye said the GNP faces a choice between "a regressive candidate and a progressive one."
The winner of the GNP primary will be announced on Aug. 20, after the votes of delegates, party members and citizens—along with the results of a public opinion poll of 6,000 voters—are tallied.
The next presidential election is scheduled for Dec. 19.
Polling Data
Who would you support in the next presidential election?
Lee Myung-bak | 44.5% |
Park Geun-hye | 37.2% |
Sohn Hak-kyu | 4.9% |
Lee Hae-chan | 2.3% |
Source: Media Research / The Korea Times / Hankook Ilbo
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 South Korean adults, conducted on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.