53.7% Koreans feel reform speed ¡°slow¡±

53.7% of Koreans said that the speed of nationwide reform implemented over the past few years was rather slow, while 39.0% felt it was fast. These were the results of an opinion poll of 1,008 adults that was conducted July 25 by the Korea Research Center at the request of the Government Information Agency. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1%. According to the poll, 91.6% of respondents agreed that reform is necessary. But they considered conflicts of interest (47.8%) and insufficient legal and systematic support (34.4%) the major barriers to the reform drive. In addition, an overwhelming majority, 94.7%, said that collective action to protect vested interests in Korean society is severe, with 52.4% feeling it is "very severe¡± and 42.3% ¡°severe on the whole.¡±