The ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye is enjoying a continuous rise in support ratings, nudged up by her early nomination allowing her to take the initiative in her nationwide campaign.
A survey by Research & Research on 1,000 voters last week right after the Saenuri’s election showed Park overtaking Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo, as their polls stood at 47.2 percent and 45.1 percent, respectively. It was a 4.6 percentage point surge for Park, and a 2.0 percentage point drop for Ahn from the previous weekend.
A daily poll by Realmeter also showed a consistent surge in Park’s ratings, up from 45.3 percent on the 20th, to 48.4 percent on the 21st, and 48.7 percent on the 24th.
Immediately upon her win at the party’s national caucus on Aug. 20, Park visited the gravesites and widows of progressive presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.
The visits gave a positive impact on those in their 20s and 40s who feel nostalgia when thinking of Roh, and the moderate voters, political observers said.
On a mission to crack her image of being “stubborn and incommunicative,” Park is also reaching out to the defeated primary rivals as well as the non-Park members.
The four rivals ― Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Moon-soo, former presidential chief secretary Yim Tae-hee, Rep. Kim Tae-ho and former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo ― met with Park on Friday and agreed to support Park in her race for the presidency.
Park is also reportedly set to ask for cooperation from staunch dissidents, Reps. Chung Mong-joon and Lee Jae-oh, who dropped out of the primary earlier in protest to the leadership’s refusal to change the election rules.
“I will think about what my role would be as a member and a former chairman of the party in order for the Saenuri Party to fulfill its historical responsibility,” Chung told reporters on his way back from his U.S. trip on Friday.
News reports said it is possible for the two to meet with Park within this week.
Determined to widen the gap with popular Ahn Cheol-soo before his anticipated political debut, Park is expected to continue her campaign focused on the younger generation.
On Sunday, Park visited the Fringe Festival, which showcased amateur and various artist groups in Hongdae, Seoul.
Park’s camp is also considering visits to various colleges in different regions in September as part of her campaign pledging to ease the tuition burden.
The first visit would be to a university in the Gyeongsang region, camp officials were quoted as saying in news reports.
By Lee Joo-hee ()
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
