By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff reporter
A recent poll found that people think Rep. Park Geun-hye, the former chairwoman of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), is the most suitable candidate to lead the country after President Lee Myung-bak's term expires in early 2013.
According to a telephone survey of 1,000 adults by the Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times, carried out on Monday and Tuesday, 28.8 percent of respondents answered that Park was the most qualified person to be the next president.
Other political heavyweights garnered single-digit support in the survey. Former Health and Welfare Minister Rhyu Shi-min ranked second with support of 9.4 percent, followed by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon with 8.3 percent, former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook with 8 percent and Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo with 6.5 percent.
Former GNP chairman Chung Mong-joon came sixth with 4.8 percent, followed by former Gyeonggi Governor Sohn Hak-kyu with 4 percent, former Liberty Forward Party (LFP) Chairman Lee Hoi-chang with 3.7 percent and former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young with 3.5 percent.
Both Reps. Chung and Lee recently stepped down as chairman to take responsibility for their party's defeat in the June 2 local elections.
Rep. Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), only had support of 1.3 percent, though he led his party to victory in local polls.
The survey also showed that Park was the most favored leadership figure in the GNP - 42.1 percent of respondents chose her as the best person to lead the party, nearly six times higher than of any other politician.
Though Chung Mong-joon came second in the survey, he only received 7.5 percent, followed by Reps. Won Hee-ryong with 6.9 percent, Hong Joon-pyo with 5 percent and Kim Hyong-o with 3.7 percent.
As to the new leader of the liberal DP, Sohn came first with support of 22.6 percent, followed by incumbent Chairman Chung Sye-kyun with 18.1 percent, Chung Dong-young with 12.5 percent and Kim Geun-tae with 8.3 percent. Rep. Choo Mi-ae came fifth with 5.4 percent, followed by Chun Jung-bae and Park Joo-sun.
Despite the DP's recent victories in local polls, the survey found that the public has more faith in the governing GNP.
When asked to pick their favorite political party, 35.8 percent chose the GNP, while 31.2 percent chose the DP.
The People's Participation Party consisting of supporters of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun came third with 5 percent, followed by the Democratic Labor Party with 3.9 percent, the Progressive New Party with 2.3 percent and LFP with 2 percent.
The survey also found that the approval rating of President Lee Myung-bak dropped considerably after the local polls.
Asked to evaluate President Lee's handling of state affairs, 44.8 percent answered he was managing them well, while 48.6 percent replied they were disappointed in his performance.
Some 6.6 percent declined to comment.
Numerous opinions polls prior to the June 2 elections found Lee's approval rating hovering slightly over 50 percent.
On the four-river restoration work, only 16.4 percent of respondents supported the multi-billion-dollar project.
Some 32.6 percent answered that the government should stop the river-refurbishment work, while 46.8 percent replied it should scale it down.
As to Sejong City, 52 percent supported the government's revision plan to build a more business-friendly town in the Chungcheong region, instead of relocating nine government ministries and four agencies.
Some 39 percent supported the original plan which was proposed under the previous Roh administration for decentralization.
The survey, however, said 53.8 percent of people in the central region ― Daejeon, and South and North Chungcheong provinces ― are against overhauling the original plan.