hankyoreh

Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chairman Moon Jae-in

By Kim Bo-hyeop, Staff Writer

　A total of 34.3% of survey respondents gave Seoul National University Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology dean Ahn Chul-soo as their choice when asked who was best suited to be South Korea’s next president. Coming in second was Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chairman Moon Jae-in (23.6%), followed by Saenuri Party emergency measures committee chairwoman Park Geun-hye (21.2%).

　The survey, which questioned 500 people in their twenties, thirties, and forties for a total sample of 1,500, also had Ahn ahead of Park in the Yeongnam region, where support for the Saenuri Party is strong.

　The number contrasted with other survey results that put Park in first place, followed by Ahn and Moon. For the 20--40 respondents in the Busan/Ulsan/South Gyeongsang region, Ahn came in first with 30.8%, followed by Moon with 24.6% and Park with 20.8%. The same order was found in Honam (40.5% for Ahn, 31.5% for Moon, and 8.2% for Park) and Chungcheong (34.8% for Ahn, 29.1% for Moon, 21.5% for Park).

　The results also reaffirmed that twentysomethings are the epicenter for the so-called “Ahn Chul-soo wave” that erupted in September 2011, just before the Seoul mayoral by-election. Out of the 500 respondents in their twenties, 41.2% supported Ahn, compared to just 22.8% for Moon and 15.6% for Park. Respondents in their twenties and thirties had Ahn ranked first followed by Moon in second and Park in third, while those in their forties had Park in second and Moon in third.

　A closer examination of support by age group had Park in first place only among those aged 45 to 49, with 32.9% support compared to Ahn‘s 26.9% and Moon’s 19.0%. Moon was found to be fairly even with Ahn and Park among respondents aged 34 to 39 and 40 to 49. While respondents aged 20 to 24 had him 24.3 percentage points behind Ahn in support, at 20.3% to Ahn‘s 44.6%, the difference was down to just 1.1 percentage points for respondents aged 34 to 39, where Ahn was supported by 29.6% to Moon’s 28.5%. The difference between the two was also down to seven percentage points among those in their forties, indicating that Moon‘s primary support base is among those in their mid-thirties to forties.

　Members of the 20--40 generation gave the commitment to reduce polarization and achieve fair distribution as the factors determining their choice at the ballot box in December’s presidential election. When asked what kind of candidate they would support in the presidential election, a total of 68.1% said they would select “a figure who emphasizes relieving polarization and achieving fair distribution.” This contrasted with the 31.9% who said they would support “someone capable of promoting growth and economic development.”

　Among twentysomethings in particular, 71.5% supported a candidate with an emphasis on polarization and distribution. The support rates were 66.6% for respondents in their thirties and 66.8% for those in their forties. Men and those below the middle class expressed interest in a candidate who values distribution over growth. Support for a candidate emphasizing growth and economic development was only high among supporters of the Saenuri Party and Park Geun-hye.

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