Polls show Democratic edge in South Korean general election

June 7 (UPI) -- The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is leading with a wide margin in polls conducted ahead of Wednesday's general election.

Candidates of the liberal DPK, whose members include South Korean President Moon Jae-in, are leading over other party candidates for mayoral, provincial and national office. The surveys included some 800 voting-age adults in South Korea and were conducted May 31 to Tuesday.

More than 50 percent of respondents said they favored the DPK over the opposition conservative Liberty Korea Party in a survey conducted by the Korean media outlet Joongang Ilbo, Yonhap reported Thursday.

Incumbent Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was leading with 56.1 percent of the vote, followed by Kim Moon-soo of Liberty Korea Party with 15.8 percent and Ahn Cheol-soo of Bareun Future Party with 14.9 percent.

The survey also showed that DPK's Lee Jae-myung, a former Seongnam mayor, led the Gyeonggi Province governor's race with 50.8 percent over the current governor, Nam Kyung-pil, with 22.2 percent.

Respondents also favored DPK candidates by an average of a 16- to 20-point margin in other major provinces, including Busan, Ulsan and Daejeon.

Gallup also found that DPK candidates hold a larger lead overall in its survey conducted between Saturday and Monday. Major Democratic contenders, such as Park, Lee and Rep. Kim Kyung-soo, show support ratings of 55.5 percent, 60.2 percent and 47.9 percent, respectively.

Other surveys conducted by three main broadcasting companies KBS, MBC and SBS show that the DPK demonstrated a dominating advantage in the majority of constituencies nationwide, except the city of Daeju, North Gyeongsang Province and Jeju.

"I feel the current survey results are deeply prejudiced," LPK leader Hong Joon-pyo said in a statement Wednesday. "I will hold those poll agencies offering deeply sided results responsible for fake results after the election."

Kim Hyun, a DPK representative, replied Thursday: "This is a very arrogant and violent claim that goes against the majority of people's opinion and a threat to poll agencies.

"These results didn't come from a single agency. They are common results gathered from different agencies regardless of their political views."