by STEVE HAN
Persistent political wrangling between the two opposing parties has left the South Koreans questioning their government more than ever before, according to a survey released Friday.
A poll conducted by Gallup Korea showed that 89 percent of its 1,011 respondents said South Korean lawmakers are not performing their duties properly. The figure is a significant bump up from a similar poll conducted in June when the disapproval rate was at 65 percent. It is conceived that the excessively long standoff between the ruling Saenuri Party and the opposing New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) before finally passing the bills to investigate the cause of the ferry tragedy has contributed to the people’s distrust.
“This is the highest rate of disapproval we’ve seen,” Gallup Korea reportedly told Gobal News. “These results show that the support base for South Korean politics is frigid.”
Of those who expressed their discontent, 20 percent said that the political standoff and lack of communication make it difficult for them to support the government’s lawmaking body. While 14 percent cited nepotism among lawmakers, 10 percent said their inability to handle bills is the main reason for not trusting the government.
But perhaps the most telling aspect is that, even as 61 percent of the survey’s respondents said they disapprove of the Saenuri Party (an increase from 43 percent in June), a staggering 80 percent still said they don’t support the opposing NPAD. The Saenuri Party, represented by President Park Geun-hye, still garnered an approval rating of 45 percent, followed by 28 percent who responded that they don’t support a specific political party. The NPAD’s rate of approval was only at 20 percent.
Photo courtesy of Crnxue.com
