In a recent South Korean Gallup poll, the People’s Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, Oh Se-hoon, has narrowed the gap with Democratic Party candidate Jung Won-oh to single digits. The poll showed Jung leading with 46% and Oh with 38%. Oh commented that if the current trend continues, he believes he can close the gap further, though he acknowledges that significant effort is still required. He argued that the reduction in the gap is partly due to increasing scrutiny of Jung, revealing aspects of his character previously unseen.
Jung responded by stating that from the beginning, he expected a tight race for the Seoul mayoral position and is approaching the election with a sense of urgency. The narrowing of the gap comes as a surprise since a month earlier, a Gallup-World Daily survey indicated Jung had a larger lead of 15 percentage points.
Oh criticized Jung for avoiding one-on-one debates, while Jung noted that four debate invitations had been extended. Each candidate has accused the other of inconsistency regarding participation in public debates. The Gallup survey for News1 found that among proactive voters, Jung led with 54% support, compared to Oh’s 36%. The survey highlighted different levels of support among various age groups and regions within Seoul.
Both candidates received similar support in response to questions about real estate policy competence, with Jung at 34% and Oh at 30%. The poll was conducted via telephone interviews with 802 adults living in Seoul and had a 95% confidence level with a ±3.5% point margin of error.