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S.Korean ex-opposition party head keeps top spot in presidential survey

Xinhua, February 6, 2017 Adjust font size:

The former opposition party head in South Korea kept top spot in presidential polls for the fifth consecutive week, solidifying the lead following former UN chief Ban Ki-moon's withdrawal from the presidential bid.

According to a Realmeter survey released Monday, Moon Jae-in, former head of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party, garnered 31.2 percent in approval scores last week, up 2.8 percentage points from the previous week.

It is based on a poll of 1,519 voters conducted from Wednesday to Friday. It has a margin of error 2.5 percentage points.

Moon ranked the first in polls for five straight weeks, cementing his top position as Ban declared his pulling out of the presidential bid last week following the drop in public support for the career diplomat.

The former UN chief, whose second, five-year term terminated at the end of last year, returned to his homeland in mid-January and conducted a de-facto campaign trail across the country for three weeks.

Ban's moves, however, pulled down his approval rating to the low end of 10 percent for some mistakes during his nationwide travels and his alleged involvement in a fraud case surrounding his younger brother and nephew.

Ahn Hee-jung, governor of South Chungcheong province who is affiliated with the Minjoo Party, jumped into the second place with 13.0 percent in approval scores, up from 6.8 percent a week earlier.

Ban's drop in the presidential bid induced his supporters to move to Ahn, who shares the political support base with Ban in the Chungcheong province.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is serving as a caretaker president following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, also benefited from Ban's drop as there is no distinguished contender in the conservative camp.

Hwang ranked third in last week's presidential survey with 12.4 percent, up from 6.6 percent in the previous week.

The prime minister's support, however, is expected to be restricted as Hwang is seen as being responsible for the corruption scandal under the Park government. Before becoming the prime minister, he served as justice minister.

According to local newspaper Donga Ilbo's survey, 32.5 percent picked Hwang as a candidate they will never vote for. It was the highest among key presidential hopefuls. Endit