Park garners 45.5%  of support to Na’s 37.2% in latest survey


The first official debate for the upcoming Seoul mayoral race was a bruising affair, as an agreement to restrict the debate to policies failed to last.

The ruling Grand National Party’s Na Kyung-won and the liberal bloc’s Park Won-soon met Monday in the forum at the Press Center in Seoul. The debate began in amicable mood, as both agreed to avoid mud-slinging.

However, it was not long before the gloves came off.

Park hurled back the ruling party’s allegations that he may have altered his family registration to influence his military service.

“The GNP may have harbored such doubts because many of its members have committed military irregularities,” Park said, in response to a question filed by a Dong-A Ilbo editorialist.

Park was adopted at age 13 by his father’s uncle, who went missing during the Japanese rule. Though this type of adoption was later ruled unlawful in court, it was a once widely practiced custom meant to preserve the family name.

In an opinion poll, which the Herald Business commissioned local pollster KM Research to conduct, Park was still ahead of Na. Park garnered 45.5 percent of support while Na trailed with 37.2 percent.

Among those who said they were still undecided 28 percent said they would probably support Park when entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Chul-soo officially backs him.

Twenty-one percent said that they would support Na, who is backed by former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye while the remainder did not state a preference.

During the debate, the two candidates exchanged fire over the Cheonan sinking in 2009.

“The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy sought to discredit the government announcement that the corvette was torpedoed by North Korea,” said Na, attempting to put Park in an awkward position on national security and North Korea policies.

The civic lawyer formerly served as executive member of the liberal civil group.

Park replied that though he believes in North Korean involvement, the government needed to look back on why it had lost the people’s trust.

The activist then targeted the GNP, claiming that the level of social conflicts has soared during the past 10 years the capital spent under two right-wing mayors, Lee Myung-bak and Oh Se-hoon.

“Seoul’s mayor needs to be able to maneuver complicated mediations in order to bring together and lead the city,” said Na. “An experienced politician is thus more appropriate for the post rather than a civic activist whose role is to bring up controversies and encourage conflicts.”

She also said that Park owes his reputation to the so-called Ahn Chul-soo syndrome.

“A civic activist loses his true merits the very moment he involves himself in politics,” Na said.

Both pledged to reinforce welfare projects, while questioning each other over the required economic resources.

Na also denied allegations that she had suddenly toned down her welfare stance in an attempt to win the support of Rep. Park Geun-hye, the party’s former chairwoman and powerful electoral ally.

“My policy blueprints were based on the party’s guidelines, which have recently been confirmed in such directions,” she said.

Na was formerly in line with former Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who sought to oppose what he called “welfare populism.”

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)