Political heavyweights struggling in surveys

By Kang Seung-woo

Many public polls have found that a large number of high-profile veteran politicians are struggling to punch their ticket to the National Assembly, with many of their challenges coming from political rookies.

The general election is scheduled to take place April 15 to choose who will make up the 300-strong 21st National Assembly.

Rep. Park Jie-won of the minor opposition Minsaeng Party is facing a situation that he has never before encountered in his almost 30-year political career. The four-term lawmaker is behind Kim Won-I ― a former deputy mayor for political affairs at the Seoul Metropolitan Government ― in the electoral district of Mokpo, South Jeolla Province.

A survey by local cable broadcaster JTBC, Monday, showed that Kim was leading Park by 7.3 percentage points ― 38.3 percent to 31 percent. Both candidates worked for the Kim Dae-jung administration from 1998 to 2003, with Park serving as chief of staff and Kim as an administrative official.

Another poll by the Joongang Ilbo released Tuesday revealed that Kim even had a lead over Park outside the margin of error ― 41.2 percent to 31.2 percent. The margin of the sampling error was plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Park has been representing the Mokpo constituency since 2008 and used to be considered invincible in the region.

Rep. Na Kyung-won of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) may also fail in her bid to become the country's second five-term female lawmaker, after Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae.

With the seat representing the Dongjak-B district in southern Seoul up for grabs, the 56-year-old judge-turned-politician is competing with former progressive judge Lee Soo-jin of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

A Monday survey by local broadcaster MBC found Lee was ahead of Na by 11.9 percentage points ― 48.5 percent to 36.6 percent ― while the poll by the Joongang Ilbo showed 46.5 percent of voters supported Lee, with only 36.9 percent favoring Na.

Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is seeking a parliamentary seat in the Gwangjin-B district in eastern Seoul on the UFP's ticket, but he is also faced with a tough challenge from former Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Ko Min-jung, a first-time contender for an Assembly seat. The race is drawing attention as it is between a former presidential spokeswoman representing the Moon Jae-in administration, and a presidential hopeful from the opposition bloc.

According to a survey by local cable broadcaster YTN, Ko had a close lead over Oh ― 47.1 percent to 43.3 percent ― but another poll by the local Hankyoreh daily found Ko to be the runaway leader with 58 percent compared to Oh's 42 percent.

Another showdown between a veteran politician and a relative newcomer is being held in a district of Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, where Rep. Lee Jae-jung of the DPK, a first-term proportional representation lawmaker, is competing against UFP floor leader Shim Jae-cheol, a five-term lawmaker.

In the MBC survey, Lee was leading Shim 46.8 percent to 33.6 percent, while in the Joongang Ilbo poll, she was ahead 48.3 percent to 35 percent.