[Hotbed Public Sentiment - Bundang-gap] Kim Byung-kwan and Kim Eun-hye in a 'Frozen Battle' within 1 Percentage Point Margin

Kim Byung-kwan, the Democratic Party candidate running in Bundang-gap, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province (left), and Kim Eun-hye, the United Future Party candidate.
Photo by each candidate

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-Young Hwang] In Seongnam-si Bundang-gap, Gyeonggi Province, the race remains tight between Kim Byung-kwan, the Democratic Party candidate seeking re-election, and Kim Eun-hye, the United Future Party candidate and former Blue House spokesperson under the Lee Myung-bak administration.

Recent polls show the gap between the two candidates is within about 1 percentage point.

The situation is such that it is impossible to determine who holds the advantage based solely on the polls.

In a poll conducted by Embrain Public on behalf of Munhwa Ilbo from the 7th to 8th among 501 men and women aged 18 and older residing in Seongnam Bundang-gap, 39.3% of respondents said they would vote for Kim Eun-hye, while 38.9% said they would vote for Kim Byung-kwan.

The gap between the two candidates is only 0.4 percentage points.

By age group, candidates Kim Byung-kwan led among those in their 30s and 40s, while Kim Eun-hye led among those in their 50s and 60s and older.

Support among 18-29 year olds was close, with Kim Byung-kwan at 31.9% and Kim Eun-hye at 28.6%.

Among the active voters who said they would definitely vote, support was 42.2% for Kim Byung-kwan and 40.9% for Kim Eun-hye.

The survey was conducted via landline and mobile phone interviews (landline 10.4% + mobile 89.6%), with a response rate of 16.2%.

The sampling error is ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

In a poll conducted by Matrix Research on behalf of TV Chosun on the 6th among 500 residents of Bundang-gap, 46.9% of respondents said they would vote for Kim Byung-kwan, while 44.1% said they would vote for Kim Eun-hye.

The gap between the two candidates was 2.8 percentage points, within the margin of error (±4.4 percentage points).

Kim Byung-kwan showed strength among those aged 40 and under, while Kim Eun-hye was stronger among those aged 50 and over.

When asked about the likelihood of winning, 54.2% said Kim Byung-kwan, and 31.4% said Kim Eun-hye.

Party support in the area was 38.1% for the Democratic Party and 33.8% for the United Future Party.

Both candidates show higher support rates than their respective parties.

The survey was conducted entirely via mobile phone interviews, with a response rate of 25.2%.

The sampling error is ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. (For more details, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.)

Bundang-gap, which covers the northern part of Bundang New Town and the entire Pangyo New Town, has traditionally been a conservative stronghold.

Former lawmaker Ko Heung-gil, who served as editor-in-chief of JoongAng Ilbo, was elected three times (16th to 18th National Assembly) in this area, and in the 19th general election, Lee Jong-hoon, a professor of business administration at Myongji University and a Saenuri Party candidate, was elected.

In the last general election, Kim Byung-kwan, the Democratic Party candidate and former CEO of NHN Games, won with 63,698 votes (47.0%), defeating Kwon Hyuk-se, former Financial Supervisory Service chief and Saenuri Party candidate, who received 52,169 votes (38.5%).

Kim Byung-kwan, seeking re-election, has pledged policies including property tax reductions for single-homeowners, and the construction of a future city Bundang through reconstruction and remodeling.

Challenger Kim Eun-hye has promised to increase floor area ratios during reconstruction and redevelopment and to block increases in official property prices.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.