No candidate dominant 100 days before presidential election

Main opposition People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly on Yeouido in Seoul, Monday. A signboard indicates that the presidential election is 100 days away. Joint Press Corps

By Nam Hyun-woo

With the presidential election just 100 days away, neither ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Lee Jae-myung nor main opposition People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoon Seok-youl is taking a noticeable lead.

As a growing number of voters have begun describing the election as being about "choosing the less-hated candidate," each of them is grappling with their weaknesses and risks.

According to a poll by the Korea Society Opinion Institute released Monday, Yoon was leading the pack with support of 41.8 percent, followed by Lee with 39 percent. However, the 2.8 percentage point gap was within the 3.1 percentage points margin of error for the poll, which surveyed 1,009 people, Nov. 26 and 27.

A separate poll by Embrain Public, released Sunday, showed that Yoon was sitting in pole position with 38.9 percent, followed by Lee with 36.1 percent ― but this gap was also within the margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. The poll questioned 1,020 people on the same days.

Except for a survey by Realmeter, which said Yoon was ahead of Lee by 9.4 percentage points, most of the latest surveys indicated that Yoon's lead was within the margin of error.

Compared to previous presidential races in which a leading candidate emerged about three months before the election, Lee and Yoon are stuck in a fierce neck-and-neck race. And this appears to be in line with the high disapproval rates for both of them.

According to a Nov. 25 and 26 survey by K Stat Research, 55.3 percent of 1,027 respondents said they disliked Lee, compared to 57.3 percent who held disdain for Yoon. A similar poll by Next Research also showed that 58.1 percent and 57 percent said they didn't like Lee or Yoon, respectively.

The numbers are interpreted as a public disappointment in the two candidates for each of their alleged involvement in a respective scandal, among their other weaknesses. Lee is facing allegations that he was involved in a massive land development scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, while Yoon is suspected of abusing his power as prosecutor general by ordering his aides to hand over documents to PPP lawmakers to use in filing criminal complaints against ruling bloc figures.

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung uses a selfie stick to take a photo with participants during a meeting of his supporters at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju, Monday. Yonhap

Since the scandal was first reported, Lee has been flatly denying any involvement, but the former Seongnam mayor did recently apologize to the public saying that it was his fault for failing to prevent corruption as the top city official, and neglecting his supervisory responsibility even though he was not involved in the scandal.

Achieving unity within the DPK is also a problem for Lee ― although he recently reorganized his election camp, the candidate has yet to get his primary rival, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, on his side. The former prime minister still commands vast support from Gwangju and the surrounding Jeolla provinces, which is the home turf for the liberal DPK.

President Moon Jae-in's strong presence is another weakness for Lee. Though the days are numbered before the presidential election slated for March 9, Moon has yet to pass the spotlight over to Lee, because of pending state affairs, such as calibrating social distancing measures to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which require decisions by the incumbent.

The situation is also difficult for Yoon.

He emerged as a symbol of defiance against the Moon administration following his feud with the government over investigations into Moon's aides for corruption while he was the top prosecutor. But Yoon's controversial remarks, the alleged abuse of power scandal and conflicts within the party over organizing his election camp are distracting opposition supporters from supporting Yoon.

Currently, he is struggling to recruit former lawmaker Kim Chong-in into his election committee, as Kim, a seasoned politician who served as the head of emergency committees for both the PPP and the DPK, has led a series of election victories for both parties. However, Kim has yet to accept Yoon's invitation, while the latter's aides are demanding that he begin his campaign without him.

With his election camp off to a rocky start, prosecutors are also investigating an allegation that Yoon's wife, Kim Kun-hee, was mired in a stock price rigging scandal.

Citing the official status of a first lady, the DPK is conducting an offensive on this claiming that the outcome of the probe may force the PPP to replace its presidential candidate.

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