[Hotbed Public Sentiment - Gongju·Cheongyang·Buyeo] Park Suhyun, Will He Avenge Against Jeong Jinseok... 'Overtaking' in Polls

Democratic Party candidate Park Su-hyun (right) and United Future Party candidate Jeong Jin-seok are greeting each other on the 26th of last month at the Gongju City Election Commission in Chungnam before registering as candidates for the 21st National Assembly election.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-Young Hwang] In Chungnam's Gongju, Cheongyang, and Buyeo, Park Soo-hyun, the Democratic Party candidate and former first spokesperson of the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House, is facing off against Jeong Jin-seok, the United Future Party candidate and former floor leader of the main opposition party.

Looking at the trends in public opinion polls, Park's upward momentum is clear.

At the end of last month, polls showed Jeong leading Park, but polls conducted this month have consistently shown Park ahead.

In a poll commissioned by Munhwa Ilbo to Embrain Public, conducted on the 7th and 8th among 501 men and women aged 18 and over residing in Gongju, Buyeo, and Cheongyang, Park received 43.7%, Jeong 34.5%, and independent candidate Kim Geun-tae 5.2%.

The gap between Park and Jeong was 9.2 percentage points, slightly exceeding the margin of error (±4.4 percentage points).

Park led Jeong in all age groups except those aged 60 and over.

Especially among those in their 40s, Park showed overwhelming strength with 76.1% compared to Jeong's 10.4%.

Jeong led among those aged 60 and over with 47.8%, ahead of Park's 36.7%.

In a poll commissioned by Dong-A Ilbo to Research & Research, conducted on the 3rd and 4th among 503 residents of the electoral district, Park received 43.8% and Jeong 37.6%.

The gap between the two candidates was 6.2 percentage points, within the margin of error (±4.4 percentage points).

Among the active voters who said they would "definitely vote," Park had 45.3% and Jeong 40.2%, narrowing the gap to 5.1 percentage points.

In a poll commissioned by Daejeon MBC to Korea Research International, conducted on the 29th and 30th of last month among 504 residents of the electoral district, Park received 42.7% and Jeong 38.4%.

The gap between the two candidates was 4.3 percentage points, within the margin of error (±4.4 percentage points).

In a poll commissioned by MBN and Maeil Business Newspaper to R&Search, conducted from the 23rd to 25th of last month among 549 residents of the electoral district, Jeong received 43.5% and Park 35.3%.

Jeong led Park by 8.2 percentage points, within the margin of error (±4.2 percentage points).

Looking at these four polls alone, Park reversed the gap by 4.3 percentage points in the poll conducted on the 29th and 30th of last month, then expanded the gap to 6.2 percentage points and 9.2 percentage points respectively. (For detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.)

Park and Jeong also faced off in the last general election.

At that time, Jeong won by a margin of 3.1 percentage points.

Jeong lost to Park in Gongju but won in Buyeo and Cheongyang, becoming the victor.

However, in the 2018 local elections, the Democratic Party swept the basic local government heads in Gongju, Cheongyang, and Buyeo.

Both candidates have raised their political stature over the past four years.

Jeong, who won the 20th general election and reached his fourth term, served as floor leader of the Saenuri Party and acting party leader.

Park, who lost the election, was appointed as the first spokesperson of the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House, gaining attention, and served as the secretary to the Speaker of the National Assembly until running for the general election.