[Gokseong County Governor By-election] Jo Sang-rae 59.6% · Park Woong-du 18.5%

Asia Economy Honam Headquarters and 3 Other Companies' Poll Results
Democratic Party Candidate Jo Sang-rae Leads Beyond Margin of Error
Jo Guk Innovation Party Chasing and Independent Candidates Showing Weakness

In a public opinion poll conducted ahead of the Gokseong County Governor by-election scheduled for October 16, Democratic Party candidate Jo Sang-rae showed the highest approval rating among the presented candidates.

Although there were conflicts among preliminary candidates during the nomination process following Jo Sang-rae's reinstatement to the Democratic Party, the party appears to maintain its strong position by leveraging its traditional stronghold in the region.

Party support also showed the Democratic Party leading with 55.4%, and voters mainly responded that they would prioritize ability and experience when choosing the next Gokseong County Governor. Among key issues, overcoming the risk of regional extinction was identified as the most important policy to pursue.

According to a virtual matchup survey of Gokseong County Governor candidates conducted by Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters in collaboration with Namdo Ilbo and News1 Gwangju Jeonnam Headquarters, and commissioned to the polling specialist Realmeter, 603 residents aged 18 or older (344 men, 259 women; 331 from electoral district A and 272 from electoral district B) in Gokseong County were surveyed over two days from the 10th to the 11th of the month. The results showed Democratic Party candidate Jo Sang-rae at 59.6% and Innovation Party candidate Park Woong-doo at 18.5%. The gap between the two candidates was 41.1%, exceeding the margin of error.

Following them were independent candidates Jeong Hwan-dae and Lee Seong-ro, each with 4.1%, and other candidates at 2.9%. Those with no preferred candidate accounted for 1.9%, and 2.0% were unsure.

Regarding voting intention for the by-election, 60.5% of voters said they would definitely vote, 26.3% said they would likely vote, 4.5% said they were unlikely to vote, 7.6% said they would not vote at all, and 1.2% were unsure, resulting in a total of 86.8% of voters expressing some intention to vote.

When asked about the likelihood of winning regardless of support, Jo Sang-rae was seen as the most likely winner at 65.9%, followed by Park Woong-doo at 13.7%, Jeong Hwan-dae at 11.3%, Lee Seong-ro at 3.8%, other candidates at 1.9%, and 3.4% were unsure.

When asked about the criteria for choosing the Gokseong County Governor, 31.6% of voters said they would prioritize candidate ability and experience, the highest response. Those who valued morality and integrity accounted for 25.9%, policy and pledges 12.1%, contribution to the region 11.7%, electability 7.8%, party affiliation 7.6%, and others/unsure 3.3%.

Party support showed the Democratic Party at 55.4%, Innovation Party at 25.8%, People Power Party at 5.1%, none at 4.6%, Reform Party at 3.4%, other parties at 2.4%, Progressive Party at 1.9%, and 1.5% were unsure.

Regarding the most important issues to be pursued, overcoming the risk of regional extinction was chosen by 37.7%, revitalizing the local economy 30.9%, expanding tourism infrastructure such as the Train Village and Rose Park 12.3%, and resolving resident conflicts over the incinerator landfill candidate site 8.0%.

Meanwhile, this survey was conducted using 92% wireless virtual numbers and 8% wired RDD automated response. The response rate was 20.4%, and weighting (rim weighting) was applied according to gender, age group, and regional population proportions based on the July 2024 Ministry of the Interior and Safety resident registration population statistics. The sampling error is ±4.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Detailed information can be found at the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission.