Seoul mayor tops rival politicians in favorability poll

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon smiles during an event promoting his Han River policy at City Hall in central Seoul, Thursday. Koreans view Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon more favorably than five other mainstream political figures, a poll showed on Friday. Newsis

Koreans view Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon more favorably than five other mainstream political figures, a poll showed on Friday.

According to the survey results published by Gallup Korea, 36 percent of the 1,002 respondents said they had favorable views of Oh, who is perceived by many as a “moderate conservative” on many social issues.

Cho Kuk, chief of the liberal minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, came in second, with 35 percent having positive views of him, followed by Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, with 33 percent.

Han Dong-hoon, a rising political star expected to announce his intention to seek the ruling People Power Party’s leadership next week, came next, with 31 percent, followed by Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo (30 percent) and Rep. Lee Jun-seok (27 percent).

Asked which politician they viewed most unfavorably, Oh was picked by 50 percent, outperforming his rivals — Cho (54 percent), Lee Jae-myung (58 percent), Han (58 percent), Hong (60 percent) and Lee Jun-seok (61 percent).