By Jun Ji-hye
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would beat any other candidate in the 2017 South Korean presidential election regardless of what party he would represent, a poll showed Tuesday.
Ban won all hypothetical two-way races, with ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung, main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, according to the survey, conducted by Realmeter.
The result indicates that, although Ban has not yet commented publicly on his possible presidential bid, he has high chances of being elected Korea's next president.
Assuming that Ban runs under the banner of the NPAD against the Saenuri Party's Kim, the U.N. chief garnered 55.1 percent support to the latter's 31.7 percent.
Under the assumption that Ban runs under the banner of the governing party against Moon, the former earned 55 percent support to the latter's 33.9 percent. Against Mayor Park, the lifetime diplomat secured 51 percent to Park's 38.1 percent.
"Ban had the upper hand regardless of which party he runs in because of support from middle-of-the-road voters as well as independent voters," Realmeter said in a press release.
Especially, Ban earned considerable support from those in their 20s to 40s, who typically support liberal candidates, the pollster said.
In another Realmeter survey asking which candidate is the most qualified to be the next president, Ban garnering 23.6 percent popularity still holds the lead, followed by Moon's 22 percent, Kim's 21.1 percent and Park's 9.7 percent.
Ban was neck and neck with Moon and Kim within the margin of error in this survey, but it is notable that he took the unmatched top spot in a question asking which leader is most qualified for achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula and reuniting the two Koreas.
Ban gained 36. 7 percent support, leading over Moon, who held the second spot in the question, by 15 percentage points.
The pollster highlighted Ban's unique position concerning the unification issue, apparently reflected in public expectations toward his role in improving strained inter-Korean relations ahead of his visit to North Korea.
Ban confirmed last week that his office is in talks with Pyongyang to organize a visit to the isolated state in the near future, citing "positive signals" from the North, though he declined to comment on the possibility of visiting before the end of the year.
His visit may lead to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at which Ban is expected to mention a variety of pending issues including the North's nuclear ambitions and human rights violations.
Ban would be the third U.N. secretary-general to visit the repressive state. But his visit is attracting a lot of attention particularly because of his South Korean citizenship.
Politicians here are observing Ban's moves closely, as his popularity is expected to peak further after such a landmark visit.
Supporters of President Park Geun-hye are reportedly backing Ban as the next presidential candidate for their party. Ban comes from North Chungcheong Province, which is regarded to have held the decisive vote in previous presidential elections.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twiiter @TheKopJihye
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Ban won all hypothetical two-way races, with ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung, main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, according to the survey, conducted by Realmeter.
The result indicates that, although Ban has not yet commented publicly on his possible presidential bid, he has high chances of being elected Korea's next president.
Assuming that Ban runs under the banner of the NPAD against the Saenuri Party's Kim, the U.N. chief garnered 55.1 percent support to the latter's 31.7 percent.
Under the assumption that Ban runs under the banner of the governing party against Moon, the former earned 55 percent support to the latter's 33.9 percent. Against Mayor Park, the lifetime diplomat secured 51 percent to Park's 38.1 percent.
"Ban had the upper hand regardless of which party he runs in because of support from middle-of-the-road voters as well as independent voters," Realmeter said in a press release.
Especially, Ban earned considerable support from those in their 20s to 40s, who typically support liberal candidates, the pollster said.
In another Realmeter survey asking which candidate is the most qualified to be the next president, Ban garnering 23.6 percent popularity still holds the lead, followed by Moon's 22 percent, Kim's 21.1 percent and Park's 9.7 percent.
Ban was neck and neck with Moon and Kim within the margin of error in this survey, but it is notable that he took the unmatched top spot in a question asking which leader is most qualified for achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula and reuniting the two Koreas.
Ban gained 36. 7 percent support, leading over Moon, who held the second spot in the question, by 15 percentage points.
The pollster highlighted Ban's unique position concerning the unification issue, apparently reflected in public expectations toward his role in improving strained inter-Korean relations ahead of his visit to North Korea.
Ban confirmed last week that his office is in talks with Pyongyang to organize a visit to the isolated state in the near future, citing "positive signals" from the North, though he declined to comment on the possibility of visiting before the end of the year.
His visit may lead to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at which Ban is expected to mention a variety of pending issues including the North's nuclear ambitions and human rights violations.
Ban would be the third U.N. secretary-general to visit the repressive state. But his visit is attracting a lot of attention particularly because of his South Korean citizenship.
Politicians here are observing Ban's moves closely, as his popularity is expected to peak further after such a landmark visit.
Supporters of President Park Geun-hye are reportedly backing Ban as the next presidential candidate for their party. Ban comes from North Chungcheong Province, which is regarded to have held the decisive vote in previous presidential elections.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twiiter @TheKopJihye
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