A poll showed that Chong Won-o of the Democratic Party of Korea and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party, both running for Seoul mayor, are in a neck-and-neck race within the margin of error. The gap between the two was just 0.4 percentage points (p).

Chong Won-o, Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor (left), and Oh Se-hoon, People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, appeal to voters for support on the 21st as official campaigning for the 9th nationwide local elections begins, at Wangsimni Station Plaza in Seongdong District and Samyang Sageori in Gangbuk District, Seoul./Courtesy of News1

In a survey of 806 Seoul voters conducted on the 19th–20th by polling institute Jowon C&I at the request of Straight News and released on the 21st, support for the Seoul mayoral candidates was 43.0% for Chong Won-o and 42.6% for Oh Se-hoon.

By region, in the northeastern zone (Dobong, Gangbuk, Nowon, Seongbuk, Dongdaemun, Jungnang, Seongdong, Gwangjin), Chong led outside the margin of error with 50.2% over Oh (36.1%). In contrast, in the northwestern zone (Jongno, Seodaemun, Jung, Yongsan, Mapo, Eunpyeong), Oh had 47.9% and Chong 41.6%, and in the southwestern zone (Gangseo, Yangcheon, Yeongdeungpo, Dongjak, Guro, Geumcheon, Gwanak), Oh led within the margin of error with 44.6% over Chong (39.3%). In the southeastern zone (Seocho, Gangnam, Songpa, Gangdong), Oh had 44.5% and Chong 39.1%.

Notably, among independents, Oh recorded 38.5%, leading Chong (16.3%) by 22.2 percentage points. Party support in Seoul stood at 43.0% for the Democratic Party of Korea and 31.1% for the People Power Party. Evaluation of President Lee Jae-myung's job performance was 56.4% positive and 36.0% negative.

Support trends for Chong and Oh showed a large shift compared with the previous poll. When Jowon C&I conducted an ARS survey using virtual mobile numbers of 802 Seoul voters on the 4th–5th at the request of Straight News, Chong was at 50.2% and Oh at 38.0%, a 12.2 percentage point gap outside the margin of error.

This survey was conducted using an ARS method with virtual mobile numbers. The response rate was 7.6%. The sampling error was ±3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For details, refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

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