Ryu Hyun-jin ranks as the top sports star in Korea, according to a recent poll.
Gallup Korea said on Tuesday that Ryu, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, topped its list of most popular sports stars as he garnered 28.1 percent of the votes.
In the nationwide poll of 1,216 people aged 19 and over carried out from May 27 to 30, Ryu proved most popular among middle-aged men in their 30s to 50s.
He was especially favored by men in their 30s, with 51 percent of the votes.
Coinciding with the period in which the poll was carried out, Ryu racked up his first shutout win in Major League Baseball by shutting out his club's crosstown rivals, the Angels.
From left, Ryu Hyun-jin, Kim Yu-na, Park Ji-sung and Choo Shin-soo
Figure skating star Kim Yu-na, who won the 2013 World Championships in March with a combined score of 218.31 points, came second with 24.6 percent.
She made a triumphant return to competitive skating after a yearlong layoff and is now a red-hot favorite to win the gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Kim received more support from female respondents, with some 40 percent of women in their 20s and 50s choosing her.
Despite his club's relegation from the English Premier League to the second-tier Championship, Park Ji-sung of Queens Park Rangers came third with 15.5 percent.
MLB slugger Choo Shin-soo of the Cincinnati Reds ranked fourth with 14.8 percent and rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae followed with 11.1 percent.
Samsung Lions' slugger Lee Seung-yeop was the only player from Korea's professional baseball league to squeeze into the top 10. He came 10th with 1.7 percent.