The two top candidates for the governing Saenuri Party’s floor leader primary announced their respective running mates on Wednesday, making it clearer that the coming election would pit those supporting President Park Geun-hye against those opposing her.

Rep. Hong Moon-jong will run for the party’s policy committee chair as party floor leader hopeful Rep. Lee Ju-young’s running mate. Rep. Won Yoo-chul will run as Rep Yoo Seong-min’s deputy. The policy committee chairperson serves as the top policy adviser to the floor leader.

The Lee-Hong duo is considered to represent the pro-Park faction, while the Yoo-Won partnership is considered to stand for the anti-Park faction. There has been no credible poll previewing the primary, to be held next Monday. Experts say the results will be close.

Lee has previously run for the party’s floor leadership. The former judge ran against Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan in 2013, but lost by just more than 5 percent of the votes.

But Lee has strengthened his public standing after serving as the maritime minister in President Park’s Cabinet last year. Lee was one of the few Saenuri officials to openly express sorrow for the victims of a ferry accident that had become politicized, something that many of his party officials avoided.

Lee gained a reputation as a moderate through his actions, analysts have said, an image that the president may need to raise her public standings, which have fallen to new lows according to recent polls.

Lee’s competitor Yoo also presents strong credentials. The former economist appears to be investing his political future on the growing anti-Park public sentiment.

The president’s public ratings have been falling according to recent polls by Gallup Korea and Realmeter, to the 30 percent range.

The two pollsters conduct weekly polls with sample sizes often ranging from 1,000 to 5,000. The polls usually have a 95 percent confidence level and margins of error near 3 percent.

By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)