Assemblyman So Byeong-cheol Suncheon (Gap), Ranked First in Poll Results

Candidate Preference and Democratic Party General Election Candidate Preference Both Ranked 1st

A public opinion poll has been released ahead of the National Assembly election scheduled for April 10.

The results of the "New Year Project: 22nd National Assembly Election Candidate Public Opinion Poll," conducted by Korea Gallup at the request of KBS Gwangju Broadcasting Headquarters and Mokpo and Suncheon Broadcasting Stations, were announced on the 3rd.

Suncheon (Gap) General Election Candidate Preference [Photo by KBS Gwangju Bureau]

According to the poll results, in the Suncheon-Gwangyang-Gokseong-Gurye (Gap) electoral district, National Assembly member So Byeong-cheol took first place.

Cheon Ha-ram, who left the People Power Party, showed a support rate of 12%, showing a large gap from first-place So Byeong-cheol. Former Suncheon Mayor Heo Seok received 11%, Son Hun-mo, representative lawyer of Suncheon Law Office, 10%, former National Assembly member Seo Gap-won 9%, and Lee Seong-su, Jeonnam Provincial Party Chairman of the Progressive Party, 8%.

Following them were former Seoul Metropolitan Council Education Committee Chairman Kim Moon-soo with 4%, and former Blue House Secretary Cho Yong-woo with 1%.

The Democratic Party's preferred candidates for the general election were So Byeong-cheol at 31%, lawyer Son Hun-mo at 16%, former Assembly member Seo Gap-won at 14%, former Mayor Heo Seok at 11%, former Chairman Kim Moon-soo at 6%, and former Secretary Cho Yong-woo at 3%.

Member So Byeong-cheol has maintained his lead since ranking first in the 2024 general election poll for the Suncheon-Gwangyang-Gokseong-Gurye (Gap) district conducted by KBC Gwangju Broadcasting ahead of Chuseok last year, steadily gaining support from local residents.

This is analyzed as the result of So’s strong central political influence as the secretary of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the first policy coordination chairman of the Democratic Party.

It is also regarded as the outcome of securing the budget for the successful 2023 Suncheon International Garden Expo, passing the special law on the Yeosun Incident that resolved a 73-year-old grievance, and visiting Suncheon more than once a week to engage with citizens.

So Byeong-cheol said, “I bow my head in gratitude for the support of the citizens and party members. I will humbly devote all my efforts to fulfilling my duties for the development of Suncheon and the happy lives of its citizens.”

This survey was conducted by KBS Gwangju Broadcasting Headquarters, which commissioned the professional polling agency Korea Gallup to survey 506 and 509 voters aged 18 or older residing in Jeonnam’s Suncheon-Gwangyang-Gokseong-Gurye Gap and Eul districts, respectively, from December 26 to 28, 2023.

The survey was conducted via wireless telephone interviews, and weighting (cell weighting) was applied by gender, age, and region based on the resident registration population announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at the end of November 2023.

The response rate for Suncheon Gap was 15.3%, with a sampling error of ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate for Suncheon Eul was 15.5%, with a sampling error of ±4.3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Detailed information can be found on the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

Suncheon = Asia Economy Honam Coverage Headquarters Reporter Lee Yeon-kyung hss79@asiae.co.kr