SEOUL, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The first TV debate among major South Korean presidential candidates widened a gap between the frontrunner and the runner-up in recent opinion poll.
According to a Realmeter survey released Sunday, Moon Jae-in of the biggest Minjoo Party garnered 45.4 percent of support, broadening a gap with Ahn Cheol-soo of the centrist People's Party who mustered 30.7 percent.
It was based on a survey of 1,011 voters conducted on Friday, a day after the first TV debate was conducted. The result had 3.1 percentage points in margin of error.
An early presidential election is scheduled for May 9 as former President Park Geun-hye was impeached in March. An official election campaign is set to kick off on Monday.
Hong Joon-pyo of the former ruling Liberty Korea Party came in the third place with 8.9 percent in support scores, trailed by Sim Sang-jung of the minor progressive Justice Party with 4.5 percent and Yoo Seong-min of the minor conservative Righteous Party with 3.8 percent.
