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By Nam Hyun-woo
Minor opposition People Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo is quickly enhancing his presence and chipping away at the support of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoon Suk-yeol.
In a number of recent surveys, No. 3 candidate Ahn is showing meaningful growth in public support, tempting the two major candidates ― Yoon and ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Lee Jae-myung ― to potentially ask the center-right candidate to unify behind their respective candidacies.
With the election coming in less than 70 days, Ahn's choice of whether he will maintain his candidacy or form a coalition with another candidate is expected to determine how the presidential race will unfold in the remaining period.
According to a Gallup Korea poll at the request of Seoul Shinmun released on Thursday, Ahn secured a 9.3 percent support rate, following the DPK's Lee at 36.8 percent and the PPP's Yoon at 30.8 percent.
In a separate weekly survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), released on Dec. 27, Ahn also showed a noticeable growth rate of 7.3 percent from 4.6 percent tallied on Dec. 20 and 2.8 percent on Dec. 13. In the Hankook Research survey released Saturday, Lee secured 34.3 percent, followed by Yoon with 28.7 percent and Ahn with 9 percent.
Though Ahn's camp said the numbers were the outcome of Ahn's steady campaign, pundits said the surge is largely attributable to the public disappointment of the two major candidates, especially Yoon, amid various controversies including his wife Kim Keon-hee's alleged falsification of resumes in previous job applications.
In the KSOI survey, Yoon suffered a decline in his support rate. He secured 42 percent on Dec. 13, but the rate dropped to 37.4 percent on Dec. 20 and 35.8 percent on Dec. 27.
The Hankook Research poll surveyed 1,005 adults from Dec. 29 to 30 at the request of the Hankook Ilbo while the KSOI poll surveyed 1,000 adults from Dec. 24 to 25 at the request of broadcaster TBS. Further details of each survey are available at the websites of polling agencies or the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
"The presidential race will be a three-way competition with Lee and Yoon (and I) by February at the latest," Ahn said in a TV interview, Saturday. "I am experiencing an upward tendency."
"Disappointment with Yoon has become a boon for Ahn, which will make Ahn's presence more significant in the remaining period," political commentator Bae Jong-chan said.
Against this backdrop, both the PPP and the DPK are offering their hands to Ahn.
During an interview with News1, published on Friday, PPP's election campaign chief Kim Chong-in mentioned a coalition with Ahn, saying, "We should wait and see, but a coalition will be helpful to some extent."
Yoon, when talking to newspaper Segye Ilbo, also kept a similar tone by saying that "we should also see Ahn is in the group calling for leadership change."
The recent appointment of Professor Kim Min-jeon of Kyung Hee University as a standing co-chairperson of the PPP election committee is also interpreted as the PPP's overture toward a coalition with Ahn, because the professor worked for Ahn during the previous presidential elections despite her denial on speculations that her role is a way to bridge Yoon and Ahn.
The DPK is more overt in courting Ahn. During an interview with broadcaster CBS, DPK Chairman Song Young-gil said "politics is about making coalition" and "it will be a national loss" to neglect good policy ideas suggested by Ahn.
Candidate Lee also said on Thursday, while talking about his plan to appoint figures even from other blocs and seek a coalition if elected, "It will be better if a coalition is made during the election campaign (than after the election)."
Amid those calls, Ahn's camp says its candidate will finish the race, in an apparent bid to get away from Ahn's records of coalitions with other parties for single candidacy.
In 2011, Ahn gave up his candidacy to help former Seoul Mayor Park Won-son win the post, and then withdrew his presidential bid in 2012 to support then-Democratic United Party candidate Moon Jae-in. In April, Ahn lost to Oh Se-hoon in a poll to pick a single opposition candidate for the Seoul mayor post from the opposition bloc, and Oh claimed the position after beating a DPK candidate.
Despite the stance from Ahn's camp, however, speculation is growing over Ahn's entering another coalition in the current presidential race, due to the slim chance of him winning the election. Since his support rate is now at a noticeable level, pundits expect that Ahn may make a political deal with the PPP to eye the by-elections to fill empty seats in the National Assembly, which will take place on the sidelines of the presidential election.
The by-elections will pick lawmakers from five constituencies including Jongno District in Seoul. Jongno District is considered as the symbol of Korean politics, as three former presidents ― Yun Po-sun, Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak ― were lawmakers of the district. Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun, who contested with Lee Jae-myung in the DPK primary, were also elected as lawmakers in this district.
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| Minor opposition People Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo answers reporters' questions during a visit to a traditional market in Gangbuk District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo
 |
Minor opposition People Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo is quickly enhancing his presence and chipping away at the support of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoon Suk-yeol.
In a number of recent surveys, No. 3 candidate Ahn is showing meaningful growth in public support, tempting the two major candidates ― Yoon and ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Lee Jae-myung ― to potentially ask the center-right candidate to unify behind their respective candidacies.
With the election coming in less than 70 days, Ahn's choice of whether he will maintain his candidacy or form a coalition with another candidate is expected to determine how the presidential race will unfold in the remaining period.
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According to a Gallup Korea poll at the request of Seoul Shinmun released on Thursday, Ahn secured a 9.3 percent support rate, following the DPK's Lee at 36.8 percent and the PPP's Yoon at 30.8 percent.
In a separate weekly survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), released on Dec. 27, Ahn also showed a noticeable growth rate of 7.3 percent from 4.6 percent tallied on Dec. 20 and 2.8 percent on Dec. 13. In the Hankook Research survey released Saturday, Lee secured 34.3 percent, followed by Yoon with 28.7 percent and Ahn with 9 percent.
Though Ahn's camp said the numbers were the outcome of Ahn's steady campaign, pundits said the surge is largely attributable to the public disappointment of the two major candidates, especially Yoon, amid various controversies including his wife Kim Keon-hee's alleged falsification of resumes in previous job applications.
In the KSOI survey, Yoon suffered a decline in his support rate. He secured 42 percent on Dec. 13, but the rate dropped to 37.4 percent on Dec. 20 and 35.8 percent on Dec. 27.
The Hankook Research poll surveyed 1,005 adults from Dec. 29 to 30 at the request of the Hankook Ilbo while the KSOI poll surveyed 1,000 adults from Dec. 24 to 25 at the request of broadcaster TBS. Further details of each survey are available at the websites of polling agencies or the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
"The presidential race will be a three-way competition with Lee and Yoon (and I) by February at the latest," Ahn said in a TV interview, Saturday. "I am experiencing an upward tendency."
"Disappointment with Yoon has become a boon for Ahn, which will make Ahn's presence more significant in the remaining period," political commentator Bae Jong-chan said.
Against this backdrop, both the PPP and the DPK are offering their hands to Ahn.
During an interview with News1, published on Friday, PPP's election campaign chief Kim Chong-in mentioned a coalition with Ahn, saying, "We should wait and see, but a coalition will be helpful to some extent."
Yoon, when talking to newspaper Segye Ilbo, also kept a similar tone by saying that "we should also see Ahn is in the group calling for leadership change."
The recent appointment of Professor Kim Min-jeon of Kyung Hee University as a standing co-chairperson of the PPP election committee is also interpreted as the PPP's overture toward a coalition with Ahn, because the professor worked for Ahn during the previous presidential elections despite her denial on speculations that her role is a way to bridge Yoon and Ahn.
The DPK is more overt in courting Ahn. During an interview with broadcaster CBS, DPK Chairman Song Young-gil said "politics is about making coalition" and "it will be a national loss" to neglect good policy ideas suggested by Ahn.
Candidate Lee also said on Thursday, while talking about his plan to appoint figures even from other blocs and seek a coalition if elected, "It will be better if a coalition is made during the election campaign (than after the election)."
Amid those calls, Ahn's camp says its candidate will finish the race, in an apparent bid to get away from Ahn's records of coalitions with other parties for single candidacy.
In 2011, Ahn gave up his candidacy to help former Seoul Mayor Park Won-son win the post, and then withdrew his presidential bid in 2012 to support then-Democratic United Party candidate Moon Jae-in. In April, Ahn lost to Oh Se-hoon in a poll to pick a single opposition candidate for the Seoul mayor post from the opposition bloc, and Oh claimed the position after beating a DPK candidate.
Despite the stance from Ahn's camp, however, speculation is growing over Ahn's entering another coalition in the current presidential race, due to the slim chance of him winning the election. Since his support rate is now at a noticeable level, pundits expect that Ahn may make a political deal with the PPP to eye the by-elections to fill empty seats in the National Assembly, which will take place on the sidelines of the presidential election.
The by-elections will pick lawmakers from five constituencies including Jongno District in Seoul. Jongno District is considered as the symbol of Korean politics, as three former presidents ― Yun Po-sun, Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak ― were lawmakers of the district. Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun, who contested with Lee Jae-myung in the DPK primary, were also elected as lawmakers in this district.
