South Korea's underdog left names presidential picks

SEOUL, Sep 5 (Reuters) South Korea's main left-wing party picked its five presidential candidates on Wednesday, including a former TV newscaster, but faces an uphill battle to convince voters it can properly manage the economy or ties with the North.

Its top candidate has only about a 10 per cent support rate and the newly formed party is already in disarray and even its official name is in doubt.

More than half of voters want the main conservative party candidate, Lee Myung-bak, a former high flying executive who plans to give a boost to business and take a tougher stand toward Pyongyang, to win the December 19 presidential election.

The two top candidates for the left-leaning United New Democratic Party are former TV newscaster Chung Dong-young, who was the South's point man for North Korea, and Sohn Hak-kyu a former governor of country's most populous province.

Both trail Lee by more than 40 percentage points.

''The majority of Lee's supporters are fixed,'' said Yonsei University political science professor Yang Seung-ham, making the candidates from the left dark horses at best.

The United New Democratic Party (UNDP) was created a few weeks ago from the members of a collapsed major left-leaning group, and was told by a court told to change its name because it sounded too much like that of a smaller party The other candidates are former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, forced from office for golfing when many thought he should have been at work, and his replacement Han Myeong-sook who became the country's first female premier.

The fifth is Rhyu Si-min, a former health minister who has riled many with his ferocious campaign style and is the most vocal supporter of outgoing and unpopular President Roh Moo-hyun.

All support Roh's engagement policy with the North, which has been criticised by many in the public for giving away too much to North Korea for too little in return.

Oxford-educated Sohn, 59, who won praise for bringing major industries to his province and is seen as having stronger policies to spur growth, is slightly ahead of Chung, who wants to focus on income redistribution and welfare programmes.

The five candidates will hold a series of regional primary votes starting from September 15 and finish a month later with a primary in Seoul, where the winner will be announced.

REUTERS CS HS1156