Kim Gi-hyeon Tops Poll for the First Time... Na Kyung-won’s Camp Raises Credibility Issues

Realmeter: No Mandatory Registration for Intra-Party Primaries
Election Commission Concludes "Not an Election Poll"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A dispute arose between Realmeter and former lawmaker Na Kyung-won's camp over a poll result showing lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun leading former lawmaker Na Kyung-won in the People Power Party's next party leader preference.

On the morning of the 14th, Realmeter announced through a press release that the result came from a survey conducted on the 12th and 13th commissioned by Media Tribune. Until now, other polls had shown former lawmaker Na far ahead of other candidates.

The controversy erupted when it was revealed that this Realmeter survey was not registered with the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission (CEPDC). Realmeter did not post the survey results on its company website nor distribute the press release collectively to reporters as usual.

Former lawmaker Na's camp questioned the reliability of the survey. They raised doubts about the fact that Media Tribune, which commissioned the survey, uses the same address and contact information as an election planning company named 'Plan A Consulting.' Former lawmaker Park Jong-hee said on Facebook, "This is evidence that someone felt the need to massage public opinion as the political situation surrounding former lawmaker Na rapidly unfolded," adding, "If someone files a complaint, it should immediately become a subject of investigation."

Former lawmaker Na Kyung-won. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Realmeter promptly rebutted. Realmeter stated, "Intra-party primaries to elect party officials are not considered election polls, so there is no obligation for prior notification or website registration." They further explained, "However, if the survey results include predictions of the next election winner or party support rankings, they must be registered on the CEPDC website, but this survey did not include such results."

The CEPDC said that after an urgent internal discussion, it concluded that Realmeter's survey cannot be regarded as an "election-related poll" subject to registration and publication obligations under election law, since it did not include party support rankings or similar data.

On the same day, lawmaker Kim held the "Winning Kim Ki-hyun Gyeongbuk Departure Ceremony" at the Gumi Complex Sports Center in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, and told reporters regarding his first-place ranking in the poll, "This is a numerical reflection of the party and public support converging on me," adding, "This trend will strengthen further."

Regarding former lawmaker Na's camp's doubts about the poll results, Kim said, "Politicians must always coldly observe the hearts of the people and party members and respect the flow of public sentiment." When asked if he planned to meet with Na's camp, he replied, "I have contacted them several times, but they did not answer the phone."