Polls show Kim closing in on Lee midway through South Korean election campaign

Seoul, May 22 South Korean Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung kept a solid lead against People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo, but Kim inched closer to Lee, according to the latest poll released on Thursday, with the election campaign reaching its halfway point.

A National Barometer Survey conducted this week showed that Lee was leading Kim with 46 per cent support against Kim's 32 per cent. Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party (NRP) came third with 10 per cent. It was the first time that the NRP's Lee garnered 10 per cent support.

Compared with a week ago, Lee of the DP lost 3 percentage points, while Kim and the NRP's Lee gained 5 percentage points and 3 percentage points, respectively.

Kim has appealed to the NRP's Lee to merge their candidacies to better challenge the DP's Lee, but the NRP's Lee, a former leader of the PPP, has said that he has no intention of merging campaigns with Kim.

Buoyed by the latest poll, the NRP's Lee appeared to be sanguine on Thursday, saying that questions by reporters about a possible merger with Kim would be "meaningless."

Lee of the DP made his first election stop on the southern island of Jeju, where he pledged to abolish the statute of limitations for crimes of state violence.

The island harbours painful memories from the Jeju April 3 uprising, during which an estimated 14,000 to 30,000 people -- up to 10 per cent of the island's population at the time -- were killed in a series of armed crackdowns, Yonhap news agency reported.

"For crimes in which the government abuses the power entrusted by the people to violate their lives, freedoms, and human rights, I will permanently abolish the statute of limitations to make perpetrators subject to criminal punishment as long as they are alive," Lee said.

The DP passed the related legislation last December, but it was vetoed by the then-acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok in January. Lee said his party will reintroduce the bill, and he will sign it into law if elected.

In Seoul, Kim announced a vision for sweeping political reform, including reducing the number of lawmakers by 10 per cent and appointing a special inspector, recommended by the opposition, tasked with investigating allegations involving the president's family and close relatives.

At the Korea Exchange, Kim outlined a plan to boost the country's stock market, including tax incentives for long-term investors and efforts to secure South Korea's inclusion in the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Developed Market Index during his term if elected.

In a separate meeting with representatives of the five major business lobbying groups, Kim said he will establish a senior presidential aide post dedicated to addressing corporate affairs to create a business-friendly environment.

He plans to sit down with representatives of the Korean Medical Association to address the ongoing standoff over medical reform and is expected to sign a policy agreement with a major women's organisation.

Later in the day, Kim will campaign in Gangmyeong and Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province, just west of Seoul. He previously served as a three-term lawmaker representing Bucheon from 1996 to 2006 before being elected governor of Gyeonggi Province.

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