ID :
209011
Fri, 09/23/2011 - 10:55
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/209011
The shortlink copeid
Civic activist ahead of GNP candidate in Seoul mayoral race
(ATTN: UPDATES with polls on presidential candidates in the last 5 paras; ADDS margin or error in 7th para)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL (Yonhap) - Park Won-soon, a lawyer-turned-activist, is ahead of Rep. Na Kyung-won of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) in the race for Seoul mayor, a poll by Yonhap News Agency showed Friday.
The 55-year-old independent Park's rating soared from a single digit after star IT expert and professor Ahn Chul-soo gave up his own bid and endorsed the activist earlier this month. Park, widely considered a liberal candidate with access to a broad network of civic activists, has received offers from the main opposition Democratic Party, but he has not yet decided whether to join any party ahead of the by-election slated for Oct. 26.
A popular two-term lawmaker, Na, 48, has been named as the strongest contender for the contest within the center-right GNP, which is becoming growingly unpopular over rising social inequality ahead of next year's major elections. On Friday, Na formally announced her bid to run in what she earlier called "a very tough election," vowing to improve the livelihoods of Seoul citizens.
An association of 12 polling agencies participated in the Yonhap surveys of 3,700 Seoul residents between Tuesday and Thursday through multiple means, including fixed-line phones, mobile phones and online.
In all polls, Park led the GNP's front-runner Na, with gaps ranging from 7 to 18 percentage points.
Out of 700 respondents interviewed over fixed-line phones, 42.6 percent supported Park and 35.2 percent preferred Park.
The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points for fixed-line phones.
Both mobile phones and online panel polls showed wider gaps between the two, with Park leading Na by almost 20 percent.
The survey using different methods of communication, the first such in the nation, was aimed at better reflecting opinions among different age groups, according to the association. Mobile surveys better reflected young voters in the past, while fixed-line phone polls drew higher response rates among older voters.
The Seoul mayoralty has been vacant since late August after conservative Oh Se-hoon quit shortly after failing to block an opposition-led free school lunch program in the city's first-ever referendum.
The poll of Seoul residents also showed that Ahn, once considered an unrivaled candidate for Seoul mayor, maintained high popularity even after passing up a mayoral bid earlier this year, leading polls by 7 to 12 percentage points to the leading presidential hopeful in the ruling camp, Park Geun-hye.
Park, a daughter of late former president Park Chung-hee and an aspirant to become South Korea's first female president, had long maintained an unrivaled lead in opinion polls until Ahn's surprise rise in the mainstream politics.
In the fixed-line phone survey, the 49-year-old Ahn received 44.8 percent of support from 700 respondents, followed by Park with 37.6 percent.
In other polls based on mobile phone, online and interactive voice response systems, Ahn's approval ratings led Park's by 9 to 12 percentage points, indicating greater support from younger mobile phone users and online panels.
Though Ahn has gained much popularity due largely to his clean and upright image, he has denied any ambition for the top office.
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL (Yonhap) - Park Won-soon, a lawyer-turned-activist, is ahead of Rep. Na Kyung-won of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) in the race for Seoul mayor, a poll by Yonhap News Agency showed Friday.
The 55-year-old independent Park's rating soared from a single digit after star IT expert and professor Ahn Chul-soo gave up his own bid and endorsed the activist earlier this month. Park, widely considered a liberal candidate with access to a broad network of civic activists, has received offers from the main opposition Democratic Party, but he has not yet decided whether to join any party ahead of the by-election slated for Oct. 26.
A popular two-term lawmaker, Na, 48, has been named as the strongest contender for the contest within the center-right GNP, which is becoming growingly unpopular over rising social inequality ahead of next year's major elections. On Friday, Na formally announced her bid to run in what she earlier called "a very tough election," vowing to improve the livelihoods of Seoul citizens.
An association of 12 polling agencies participated in the Yonhap surveys of 3,700 Seoul residents between Tuesday and Thursday through multiple means, including fixed-line phones, mobile phones and online.
In all polls, Park led the GNP's front-runner Na, with gaps ranging from 7 to 18 percentage points.
Out of 700 respondents interviewed over fixed-line phones, 42.6 percent supported Park and 35.2 percent preferred Park.
The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points for fixed-line phones.
Both mobile phones and online panel polls showed wider gaps between the two, with Park leading Na by almost 20 percent.
The survey using different methods of communication, the first such in the nation, was aimed at better reflecting opinions among different age groups, according to the association. Mobile surveys better reflected young voters in the past, while fixed-line phone polls drew higher response rates among older voters.
The Seoul mayoralty has been vacant since late August after conservative Oh Se-hoon quit shortly after failing to block an opposition-led free school lunch program in the city's first-ever referendum.
The poll of Seoul residents also showed that Ahn, once considered an unrivaled candidate for Seoul mayor, maintained high popularity even after passing up a mayoral bid earlier this year, leading polls by 7 to 12 percentage points to the leading presidential hopeful in the ruling camp, Park Geun-hye.
Park, a daughter of late former president Park Chung-hee and an aspirant to become South Korea's first female president, had long maintained an unrivaled lead in opinion polls until Ahn's surprise rise in the mainstream politics.
In the fixed-line phone survey, the 49-year-old Ahn received 44.8 percent of support from 700 respondents, followed by Park with 37.6 percent.
In other polls based on mobile phone, online and interactive voice response systems, Ahn's approval ratings led Park's by 9 to 12 percentage points, indicating greater support from younger mobile phone users and online panels.
Though Ahn has gained much popularity due largely to his clean and upright image, he has denied any ambition for the top office.
