Image: Favorability (top row) and unfavorability of ten potential presidential candidates for 2027. Credit: Weekly Chosun.
In an early look at the next presidential election, Weekly Chosun 주간조선, together with K-Stat Research, conducted a poll of favorability and unfavorability of ten major politicians who could conceivably make a run in 2027. Among conservatives, Daegu mayor and 2017 presidential candidate Hong Jun-pyo 홍준표 대구 시장 and Seoul mayor O Se-hun 오세훈 서울시장 led in favorability, 47.8% and 47.1% respectively.
Among liberals, Democratic Party chairman and 2022 presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung 이재명 민주당 당대표 and Gyeonggi-do Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon 김동연 경기도지사 topped the favorability ranking with 41.2% and 39.8%. For Hong and Lee, however, there is a catch: their unfavorability is quite high as well. Lee Jae-myung had a 56.4% unfavorability rating, the highest among all liberals. Hong’s unfavorability was 48.0%, also putting him under water in the favorability plus-minus.
Out of the ten surveyed - which included other heavyweights like former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-su 안철수 and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon 이낙연 전 총리 - only O Se-hun and Kim Dong-yeon had a positive differential in favorability plus-minus. O’s unfavorability rating was 45.3%, making him +1.8% overall. Kim had the lowest unfavorability out of the ten with 37.7%, giving him a +2.1% overall rating.