Moon Jae-in (Yonhap News)
Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party secured his sixth consecutive win in the regional votes Sunday, further prompting his rivals to consider an alliance to pull down his ratings in the remaining polls.
The former presidential aide once again came out a winner in the Incheon primary by winning 5,928 ballots, or 50 percent of the total valid votes. It followed his win in North Jeolla Province the day before.
Moon, however, is yet to secure a sure win by having gained an aggregated 46.15 percent of the votes so far.
The DUP is to hold a final round between the top two contestants on Sept. 16 in case the No.1 candidate fails to win at least 50 percent of the votes by the end of the regional elections.
With the regional votes halfway through, signs are emerging of a possible alliance among Moon’s rivals, particularly between second and third runners-up Sohn Hak-kyu and Kim Doo-kwan, to gather their votes.
Sohn has so far won a sum of 25.78 percent of the votes, followed by Kim with 14.74 percent. Last in the running is former party chief Chung Sye-kyun with 13.33 percent.
The run-off race may especially be a hopeful scenario for Sohn, according to observers.
Sohn, a former party chief and Gyeonggi Province governor, expects to see his poll ratings grow further from the votes in the metropolitan areas, which have the largest demographics.
South Jeolla Province, or the so-called Honam region, is also considered a crucial constituency, as it has long been a stronghold for the progressive party that could critically influence the flow of the game. The regional vote for the region is scheduled for this Thursday.
Meanwhile, latest public polls showed Rep. Moon’s popularity taking an upturn as he continued to win in the primaries.
According to a survey conducted by pollster Realmeter last Thursday and Friday, his support rate recorded 15 percent, a 2.7 percent rise from the previous week.
He also caught up slightly on Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party in a hypothetical dual match, by narrowing the gap from 13.7 percent to 8.9 percent, the survey showed.
“Moon’s winning streak affected the neutral, non-party voters who have so far taken a wait-and-see attitude,” said Lee Taek-soo, president of the pollster.
Moon’s victorious mood, however, may meet a serious challenge if Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo breaks his silence and finally announces his presidential bid, he added.
“If Moon’s reputation continues to rise, Ahn may decide to step into the race before the end of the primary,” Lee said.
“In that case, Moon faces a challenge more serious than the possible Sohn-Kim alliance.”
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
