South Korea's rival presidential candidates made strategic stops on their campaign trails Friday as the two seek to swing what polls show is a tight race in their favor.

The ruling Saenuri Party's Park Geun-hye, who is looking to become the first female leader of the country and extend the conservative rule for another five years, visited the conservative stronghold of Busan on the fourth day of the campaign.

The port city was once the center of popular movement against Park's father, late military strongman Park Chung-hee, but has grown conservative over the years.

Busan, however, is also a political hometown for the main opposition Democratic United Party's Moon Jae-in, and handed him his first parliamentary seat earlier this year.

Moon, who was jailed in 1975 for protesting against the senior Park, headed to the conservative stronghold of Daegu to woo voters who have long backed right-wing leaders.

The southeastern city is the hometown of Park, who acted as the de facto first lady to her father after her mother was assassinated.

Latest polls show a tight race between the two rivals, with a survey of 1,500 people by ratings agency Realmeter putting Park at 47.4 percent compared to Moon at 42.8 percent.

Incumbent President Lee Myung-bak, who defeated Park in the Saenuri Party's 2007 presidential primary, is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election.