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| Presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, left, and Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party / Yonhap |
Yoon leads Lee by almost 12 percentage points in poll
By Kang Seung-woo
Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) have won their parties' nominations as the candidates for next year's presidential election, but their respective primaries showed that they both have the task of raising their low popularity among the general public.
In light of both candidates' low approval ratings, the election, scheduled for March 9, 2022, is feared to end up a choice between the lesser of two evils.
In that respect, Lee, who is being plagued by a land development speculation scandal, and Yoon, who failed to win support from young voters in the primary, are seeking to improve their images as grassroots-friendly candidates, while appealing to young voters.
Lee, the former governor of Gyeonggi Province, was elected as the DPK's presidential candidate in October by garnering 50.29 percent of the total votes in the primary.
However, despite earlier expectations of a landslide victory, Lee, 56, narrowly managed to win with a slight majority of votes in the primary, after suffering a sobering defeat to his rival Lee Nak-yon ― 28.3 percent to 62.3 percent ― in a third poll of the general public conducted by the party. The results came after the land development scandal had come to the fore.
As for Yoon, the 60-year-old career prosecutor is also facing derision for being "the candidate chosen by party members," rather than by the public.
Despite the primary results showing that Yoon received 47.8 percent of the votes cast by party members and general citizens, compared with runner-up Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, who received 41.5 percent, he was beaten by Hong in a poll of the general public with 37.94 percent choosing him and 48.21 percent opting for Hong.
As a result, many PPP party members in their 20s and 30s, who cast their ballots for Hong, have abandoned the party.
Lee, as part of his efforts to restore his reputation among the general public, met with residents of a "youth home" providing affordable rental housing for young adults, Saturday, while visiting Seojin School, a school for children with special needs in Seoul, Sunday.
In addition, Lee, a strong advocate of universal COVID-19 relief funds, has been calling for another round of cash handouts for citizens irrespective of their income levels.
Yoon, meanwhile, visited Garak Market in southern Seoul, Saturday, the day after his nomination, as his first campaign destination, instead of going to the Seoul National Cemetery, which candidates usually visit as their first stop on the campaign trail. Later in the day, he met with PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok, 36, while participating in a ceremony commemorating the country's fifth Youth Day.
Meanwhile, former Governor Lee proposed to Yoon on Monday that they hold a bilateral meeting and a policy debate, saying that they should compete to improve people's livelihoods, which is more important than the competition to seize power.
"Each candidate can pursue different policies, but the ultimate goal boils down to improving people's livelihoods," Lee said during a meeting of the DPK's election committee at the National Assembly in Seoul.
"A democratic republic needs a servant who will work on behalf of the people, not a king. We need to hold an in-depth discussion to show the people who would be better as their representative."
The latest public survey found, also on Monday, that Yoon was ahead of Lee by nearly 12 percentage points.
According to the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), Yoon had received 43 percent approval, compared to Lee's 31.2 percent, in a survey of 1,009 adults nationwide conducted last Friday and Saturday.
Ahn Cheol-soo, the candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, received 4.7 percent, followed by Sim Sang-jeung of the progressive Justice Party with 3.7 percent, and former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon with 1.4 percent.
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