Half of voters still undecided for next presidential election

People move on escalators at Seoul Station, Monday. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

About four months ahead of the next presidential election slated for March 9, over half of voters remain undecided over whom to pick for the country's next leader, a survey showed, Monday.

According to the poll conducted of 1,006 voters on Oct. 29 and 30 by local pollster Embrain Public, 50.9 percent of the respondents said they have yet to decide which presidential contender to vote for, while 48.8 percent said they have decided.

In particular, 60.3 percent of the respondents who identified as centrists and 73.9 percent of the age group of 18 to 29 years old said they have yet to make a choice.

Political watchers say ongoing scandals surrounding contenders of the two main parties have contributed to the voter uncertainty.

While the prosecution is investigating a land development speculation scandal allegedly involving ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, Lee has failed to prove his innocence, and 68.1 percent of the poll respondents said they do not trust the ongoing investigation into the case.

From the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), its leading presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl is also facing a scandal over allegations he abused his power when serving as prosecutor general and ordered his aides to lodge defamation accusations against ruling bloc figures. More than 42 percent of the poll respondents said the case requires proper investigation. Currently, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is dealing with the case.

The PPP is in the final stages of selecting its presidential candidate, to be announced Friday.