Ban is strongest contender in poll
By Yi Whan-woo
Ban Ki-moon
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is the preferred presidential candidate in the latest poll on potential runners, released Thursday.
The result indicates Ban is gaining popularity after he left open the possibility of running for president while visiting Korea last week.
In a telephone survey by Realmeter, on Monday and Tuesday, Ban received 25.3 percent of support as a presidential candidate, leading former main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) chairman Moon Jae-in by 3.1 percentage points. The survey of 2,018 adults nationwide had a 2.2 percent margin of error.
The poll showed that Ban, who is rumored to have the backing of President Park Geun-hye as a ruling Saenuri Party candidate, absorbed the support of other probable presidential contenders, including minority opposition People’s Party co-leader Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, after he hinted at a presidential bid.
Ahn garnered 12.9 percent, down 3.2 percentage points from a week earlier.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, a possible MPK presidential candidate, collected 6.6 percent, down 1.3 percentage points.
The approval ratings of three conservative presidential hopefuls _ former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, former ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung and Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil _ dropped from 10.4 percent to 4.3 percent, 6.6 percent to 3.8 percent and 3.2 percent to 1.8 percent, respectively.
Rep. Yoo Seong-in, an independent lawmaker who defected from the Saenuri Party, saw a 1.6-percentage-point fall in his support, recording 2.9 percent this week.
The presidential election is scheduled in December 2017. But Ban fueled an early race among potential rivals after hinting at the possibility of his candidacy during his visit to his home country May 25-30.
“The survey clearly indicated a two-way race between Ban and Moon and it seems most voters, except for Moon’s supporters, are throwing their support behind the U.N. chief,” Realmeter said.
By region, Ban led in the Saenuri Party’s strongholds, collecting 34.1 percent in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province combined and 29.7 percent in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province combined.
Ban, a native of North Chungcheong Province, was also most popular in Daejeon, Sejong City and the Chungcheong region combined. He won 29 percent there.
The U.N. chief garnered the top spot in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon at 29 percent.
Meanwhile, the approval rating of President Park Geun-hye rose by 2.2 percentage points to 36.1 percent.
“It can be interpreted that Ban’s visit led to a positive assessment of the President’s state affairs,” the pollster said.
It said news reports of Park’s ongoing overseas trip may have helped increase her approval rating.