Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Seoul mayor tops rival politicians in favorability poll
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon smiles during an event promoting his Han River policy at City Hall in central Seoul, Thursday. Koreans view Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon more favorably than five other mainstream political figures, a poll showed on Friday. Newsis
By Jung Min-ho
Koreans view Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon more favorably than five other mainstream political figures, a poll showed on Friday.
According to the survey results published by Gallup Korea, 36 percent of the 1,002 respondents said they had favorable views of Oh, who is perceived by many as a “moderate conservative” on many social issues.
Cho Kuk, chief of the liberal minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, came in second, with 35 percent having positive views of him, followed by Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, with 33 percent.
Han Dong-hoon, a rising political star expected to announce his intention to seek the ruling People Power Party’s leadership next week, came next, with 31 percent, followed by Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo (30 percent) and Rep. Lee Jun-seok (27 percent).
Asked which politician they viewed most unfavorably, Oh was picked by 50 percent, outperforming his rivals — Cho (54 percent), Lee Jae-myung (58 percent), Han (58 percent), Hong (60 percent) and Lee Jun-seok (61 percent).