A poll found that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is ahead of incumbent lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea within the margin of error in a head-to-head matchup for the local elections in June next year.
According to the Local election poll conducted by polling firm Media Tomato and News Tomato on the 28th–29th of this month of 1,000 adults ages 18 and older living in Seoul, Oh led the field of potential conservative Seoul mayoral candidates with 27.5 percent, far ahead of Na Kyung-won (12.1 percent), Han Dong-hoon (9.3 percent), Lee Jun-seok (5.4 percent) and Cho Eun-hee (2.6 percent).
Among potential progressive candidates, lawmaker Park Jumin led with 12.4 percent, followed by Cho Kuk (11.7 percent), Kim Min-seok (10.3 percent), Jeong Won-o (8.4 percent), Seo Young-kyo (6.8 percent), Kang Hoon-sik (5.5 percent), Jeon Hyun-hee (2.9 percent) and Park Hong-keun (1.8 percent).
In particular, Oh led within the margin of error in head-to-head matchups against incumbent Democratic Party lawmakers expected to run for Seoul mayor. In a head-to-head with lawmaker Park Jumin, Oh had 46.8 percent to Park's 42 percent.
In an Oh Se-heon vs. Park Hong-keun matchup, Oh had 46.7 percent to lawmaker Park Hong-keun's 35.9 percent, a wider gap, and in an Oh Se-heon vs. Seo Young-kyo matchup, Oh had 47.6 percent to lawmaker Seo Young-kyo's 40.4 percent. In an Oh Se-heon vs. Jeon Hyun-hee matchup, Oh had 47.4 percent to the former lawmaker's 39 percent.
In party support among Seoul citizens, the Democratic Party stood at 40 percent, ahead of the People Power Party (36.8 percent). The Reform Party, which has been mentioned as a possible election ally with the People Power Party, had 4.7 percent, and the Rebuilding Korea Party, classified as part of the broader ruling camp, had 2.4 percent.
The survey was conducted via automated response using wireless virtual numbers (ARS) and had a 5.5 percent response rate. The margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. For details, see the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.