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Gyeonggi governor only local leader enjoying steady approval

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Gyeonggi Provincial Governor Kim Dong-yeon speaks during a press conference at the provincial government office in Suwon, Aug. 3. Yonhap

By Ko Dong-hwan

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon has recorded the country's highest local support rating among 17 mayors and governors, according to a recent survey.

Realmeter said that Kim scored 113 points in the “expansion of supporters index” (ESI) that evaluates how much support a mayor or a governor has gained or lost since being elected. Based on the rating Kim had earned since his election in June 2022, the index calculates how much support he has additionally gained or lost.

According to the pollster, Kim was the only leader among the country's 17 metropolitan city and province leaders who scored over 100 in the ESI. Scoring over 100 means a leader has gained more supporters since their election, whereas less than 100 reflects a loss of supporters.

Since Realmeter started analyzing the index on a regular basis for incumbent mayors and governors whose terms began in June 2022, Kim has never yielded the No. 1 spot to other local leaders.

Kim, who represented the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, won the local election with 49.06 percent of the votes from the province ― a home of nearly 11.5 million eligible voters, the largest voter pool as a local constituency in the country. His contender in the neck-and-neck race was Kim Eun-hye from the ruling People Power Party, who is now the senior presidential secretary for public relations.

Realmeter said the latest ESI rank also saw South Chungcheong Provincial Governor Kim Tae-heum in second with 92 points, Gangwon Provincial Governor Kim Jin-tae with 91.9 points and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok with 91.3 points.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo, South Jeolla Provincial Governor Kim Yung-rok, Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom, Sejong Mayor Choi Min-ho, Jeju Provincial Governor Oh Young-hun and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon followed. Realmeter said they exempted those below the top 10 from revealing their ESI points.

Realmeter conducted the latest ESI survey on June 26-30 and July 27-30 on 13,600 people aged 18 or older across the country.