Rep. Moon Jae-in has so far proven himself to be the presidential frontrunner of the main opposition Democratic United Party but is now to face the most crucial race while his average support rate still remains under 50 percent.
The former presidential aide aims at grabbing his candidacy in a single swoop but is to accede to a playoff round should he fail to reach the given quota by the Seoul regional vote on Sept. 16.
The Busan lawmaker won his seventh consecutive victory in the South Gyeongsang primary on Tuesday, beating his rival Kim Doo-kwan, who had until recently served as governor in the region.
This was, however, a razor-thin victory as the margin between the two was a mere 1.16 percent.
Moon Jae-in
Rep. Moon also failed to pull up his average polls to 50 percent or more, leaving room for the unwanted overtime game.
Amid such unpredictability, Moon and his three rivals now face the upcoming primary on Thursday in South Jeolla Province, which holds the largest voting pool among all 13 regional units.
It is also here that the left-wing party has enjoyed the most loyal political support over the last few decades.
Eyes are especially drawn on the possible achievement of underdog contestant Rep. Chung Sye-kyun, who is the only Jeolla native among the four.
Chung has been in the lower bracket throughout the regional primaries but became a visible threat to Moon in the North Jeolla race by finishing second with 26.53 percent of the votes.
The former Democratic Party chief also met on Monday with South Jeolla Governor Park Joon-yung, who earlier withdrew from the primary, displaying his aspiration for Thursday’s race.
The three competitors -- Kim, Chung and former party chief Sohn Hak-kyu -- are hoping for a wide voter dispersion as to keep Moon’s polls below the crucial 50 percent line.
“It is highly probable that a runoff election will be held,” said Kim in a radio interview on Wednesday.
“Moon’s polls have taken a downturn and other candidates seem to be preparing (for the additional round).”
Party members, including Moon’s supporters, are concerned that the first-term lawmaker is not yet fully ready to face the final rounds against Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party or Professor Ahn Cheol-soo, he added.
Rep. Moon agreed back in July to participate in the runoff, accepting the demand of the underdog candidates and embracing the party’s effort to vitalize the primary.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
