By Kim Hyo-jin
The People's Party is rapidly losing popularity in the Jeolla region, where it received overwhelming support in last month's general election, while the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) is regaining ground there, according to the latest polls.
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, the co-chairman of the second largest opposition party, was demoted to the region's second favorite potential presidential candidate, behind Moon Jae-in, the MPK's former chairman.
A Realmeter poll taken in the first week of May showed that the party's approval rating plunged by 12.5 percentage points from 50.6 percent the previous week to 38.1 percent. Meanwhile, the MPK's support surged to 34.5 percent, a 6.9 percent increase from the previous week. Of 2,028 respondents, 27.2 percent supported Ahn while 30.6 percent favored Moon.
This is the first time since the April 13 general election that eligible voters in the region have shown a preference for the MPK and its former leader over the People's Party and its incumbent leader. North and South Jeolla provinces showed overwhelming support for the new People's Party in the election, leading it to secure an unexpected 38 seats.
The pollster interpreted this as the party's revisionist stance denting its popularity in the left-leaning region.
Rep. Park Jie-won, the party's new floor leader, mentioned earlier that the party is willing to form a coalition government with the conservative Saenuri Party. He also said that he could help the Saenuri Party secure the National Assembly Speaker post, customarily given to the largest party, which is currently the MPK.
A political observer remarked that the popularity of the People's Party in the Jeolla region has fluctuated and its recent ambiguous political ideology has caused voters to withdraw their support.
"Jeolla voters are the strategists. They vote to block the worst possible candidate or party from winning. They voted for the People's Party in this election out of disappointment with the MPK and its former leader Moon," said Choi Chang-ryol, a politics professor at Yongin University.
"Now, they are calculating who is more likely to beat the conservative Saenuri Party in the upcoming presidential election. And the current stance of the People's Party made them doubt its competitiveness to be a competent rival of the Saenuri Party."
Choi said that Ahn is expected to adopt a more contrasting stance on political issues to that of the Saenuri Party as the presidential election approaches.
"Unanimous support from the region is critical in the run-up to the presidential race. Ahn and Moon will struggle more to woo voters there," he said.
Meanwhile, Moon, who has kept a low profile since the election, visited North Jeolla Province, Monday. This was his second visit to the region following a trip to South Jeolla Province in April.
The People's Party is rapidly losing popularity in the Jeolla region, where it received overwhelming support in last month's general election, while the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) is regaining ground there, according to the latest polls.
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, the co-chairman of the second largest opposition party, was demoted to the region's second favorite potential presidential candidate, behind Moon Jae-in, the MPK's former chairman.
A Realmeter poll taken in the first week of May showed that the party's approval rating plunged by 12.5 percentage points from 50.6 percent the previous week to 38.1 percent. Meanwhile, the MPK's support surged to 34.5 percent, a 6.9 percent increase from the previous week. Of 2,028 respondents, 27.2 percent supported Ahn while 30.6 percent favored Moon.
This is the first time since the April 13 general election that eligible voters in the region have shown a preference for the MPK and its former leader over the People's Party and its incumbent leader. North and South Jeolla provinces showed overwhelming support for the new People's Party in the election, leading it to secure an unexpected 38 seats.
The pollster interpreted this as the party's revisionist stance denting its popularity in the left-leaning region.
Rep. Park Jie-won, the party's new floor leader, mentioned earlier that the party is willing to form a coalition government with the conservative Saenuri Party. He also said that he could help the Saenuri Party secure the National Assembly Speaker post, customarily given to the largest party, which is currently the MPK.
A political observer remarked that the popularity of the People's Party in the Jeolla region has fluctuated and its recent ambiguous political ideology has caused voters to withdraw their support.
"Jeolla voters are the strategists. They vote to block the worst possible candidate or party from winning. They voted for the People's Party in this election out of disappointment with the MPK and its former leader Moon," said Choi Chang-ryol, a politics professor at Yongin University.
"Now, they are calculating who is more likely to beat the conservative Saenuri Party in the upcoming presidential election. And the current stance of the People's Party made them doubt its competitiveness to be a competent rival of the Saenuri Party."
Choi said that Ahn is expected to adopt a more contrasting stance on political issues to that of the Saenuri Party as the presidential election approaches.
"Unanimous support from the region is critical in the run-up to the presidential race. Ahn and Moon will struggle more to woo voters there," he said.
Meanwhile, Moon, who has kept a low profile since the election, visited North Jeolla Province, Monday. This was his second visit to the region following a trip to South Jeolla Province in April.
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