Which Party to Support in Next General Election?

According to a survey conducted by the Korea Research Center (KRC), and on behalf of the Dong-a Daily, out of 1050 adults interviewed nationwide, 23.9 percent of respondents said they will support the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) when the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) breaks up and a new party is created. 18.4 percent said they will support the MDP, and 16 percent the new party.

In addition, only 33.5 percent of those interviewed said that it is good to establish a new party even if it means the breakup of the MDP. 56.7 percent saw the move as negative.

Currently, approval ratings are higher for the GNP at 23.5 percent, while the MDP’s ratings stand at 22.9 percent.

Questioned whether the MDP does well as a ruling party, 74,9 percent of respondents disagreed and 66.6 percent disapproved of the GNP as well, suggesting a widespread distrust in politics.

Regarding the controversial bill to dismiss Government Administration and Home Affairs Minister Kim Doo-kwan, 39 percent responded that President Roh Moo-hyun should veto the bill while 35 percent said the president should accept it.

With regard to a recent series of walkouts by trade unions, 82 percent said the demands of labor unions are far too excessive. Two out of every three respondents (66.9 percent) said the incumbent government lacks the ability to confront labor-related issues.

The survey was conducted through telephone interviews with respondents evenly distributed according to region, gender, and age. The sampling error is plus or minus 3.0 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. For more information, see www.donga.com.

sunny60@donga.com