Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was picked as the most preferred potential candidate to run in the next presidential election, a poll showed Friday, outpacing the leader of the ruling Saenuri Party.

Around 16 percent of the 1,005 respondents said they would vote for Park in the next presidential election, according to the poll conducted by Gallup Korea. It marked a percentage point drop from June and July, but he maintained the top spot for the third month in a row.

Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party followed with 15 percent, up 2 percentage points from a month earlier, trailed by Moon Jae-in, who heads the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) at 12 percent.

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the NPAD held 9 percent, followed by former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at 6 percent.

Around 33 percent of the respondents said they were satisfied with President Park Geun-hye, remaining unchanged from a week earlier, while 56 percent expressed discontent, up 1 percentage point on-week, the poll also showed.

Of the respondents, 39 percent said they supported the ruling party, up 1 percentage point from last week, while 21 percent said they stand with the NPAD.

Around 35 percent said they did not have a specific political party they wish to support. (Yonhap)