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OPINION POLL (P05-14)

November 2005 Dong-A Ilbo Opinion Poll on
the Roh Administration’s Performance & Potential Presidential Candidates

Date Conducted

5 November 2005

Date Released

7 November 2005

Methodology

The poll taken of 1,015 South Korean adults aged 20 and older showed their evaluation of the current administration, their favourability of potential presidential candidates, economic and diplomatic outlook in the year of 2006, and opinions on some other critical issues.

Key Issues

* President Roh Moo-hyun’s job ratings
* Favorability ratings of potential presidential candidates
* Political party preferences
* Opinions on the current economic situation
* Opinions on foreign and inter-Korean relations
* South Koreans’ ideological terrain

Background

This survey, conducted at the beginning of November 2005, examines approval ratings for South Korean president Roh Moo-Hyun as he reaches the halfway point of his term in office, in addition to public expectations of the next president. The poll also assesses public opinion on inter-Korean relations approximately two months after the Six-Party joint statement on the North Korea crisis was issued. The September 19 joint statement outlined a set of principles for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and North Korea’s eventual compliance with international nuclear safeguards. As a concession to North Korea, the other parties agreed to discuss the possibility of providing North Korea with civilian-use light-water reactors at “an appropriate time” in the future—and only after the full dismantlement of North Korea’s current nuclear program. Twenty-four hours after the agreement was reached, however, North Korea appeared to backtrack on its original stance by stating that it would not dismantle its nuclear weapons program without receiving light-water reactors first. Finally, the poll looks at where South Koreans place themselves on the ideological spectrum. This includes a key question on how respondents view the Korean Teacher’s Union–a radical organization that has come under mounting criticism for its ideological positions, characterized by extreme anti-Americanism and anti-globalization.

Link to Original Source

http://www.donga.com/fbin/output?sfrm=1&n=200511070102

Disclaimer

The Mansfield Foundation is responsible for the translation of this survey research, subject to the Mansfield Foundation Terms of Use

President Roh Moo-hyun’s job ratings

Q1. How well do you think that President Roh Moo-hyun is doing his job as President?

Favorability of Potential Presidential Candidates

Q2. What do you think is the most important capability for running this country that next president should possess?

Q3. What do you think is the most important capability for running this country that next president should possess? (Choose your top and second priorities.)

Q4. Among the following presidential candidates, who do you think is the ablest in terms of having expertise in economy and ability to solve economic problems?

Q5. Who do you think is the ablest presidential candidate in terms of having expertise in foreign relations and diplomatic skills?

Q6. Who do you think is the best candidate for relieving social tensions and strains?

Q7. Who do you think is the best candidate for preparing re-unification and solving related problems?

Q8. Overall, which presidential candidate do you prefer the most?

Opinions on Political Parties

Reference: Major political parties in South Korea

* Uri Party: the ruling party which President Roh belongs to; ideologically progressive and nationalistic; supporting engagement towards North Korea; having pursued independent foreign policy distancing itself from the US.
* Grand National Party (GNP): the leading opposition party led by Ms PARK Geun Hye, daughter of former president PARK Chung-Hee; ideologically center-right or conservative; skeptical of engaging North Korea; placing more value on the US-ROK alliance
* Millennium Democratic Party (MDP): the former ruling party during the KIM Dae-jung Administration; center or center-left; pro-engagement; having maintained marginal influence since President Roh’s supporters withdrew and established Uri Party
* Democratic Labor Party: established in 2000; based on labor unions and progressive/radical sectors; strongly nationalistic and pressing for independent foreign policy; pro-engagement towards North Korea; anti-American; visibility markedly grown since the general election in 2004 by which the party gained 10 seats in National Assembly.
* The United Liberal Democrats (ULD): very conservative; having secured only several seats in National Assembly
* The People First Party: a new party; organized by a few lawmakers from ULD and politicians who has local power bases based on provincialism.

Q9. Assuming that the current party system goes on until next presidential election, which party do you think is most likely to take power?

Q10. Among following political parties in South Korea, which one do you generally prefer the most?

Opinions on Economic Situation

Q11. Do you think your household has been better off or worse off since the inauguration of the Roh Moo-hyun government three years ago?

Q12. How do you see Korean economy in 2006? Do you think it will be improving or falling off?

Opinions on Foreign and inter-Korea relations

Q13. Which country do you think the South Korean government should see most important in its diplomatic relations?

Q14. The fifth round of Six-Party Talks will resume presently. Do you think North Korea would give up its nuclear program if it were provided with security guarantee and energy assistance?

Questions on Ideological Inclinations

Q15. In general, do you approve or disapprove of activities and the way members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (KTU) teach at schools?

* KTU (or Jeon Gyo Jo in Korean) was founded in 1989, but made illegal by the government and the constitutional court ruling. However, it succeeded to make its way to a legal organization in 1999, and attracted many teachers across the country. Some of their initial activities had been viewed favorably, for they were considered to carry out reform against rigid and hierarchical school systems, and increase the awareness of democracy and human rights.
Yet, in the past years, KTU has shown extremely skewed ideological biases in classrooms, and therefore they are now widely criticized for their politicization. Most notorious examples include its nationwide campaign in 2002 accusing the US after two school girls had been run over by a US army vehicle, and the recent anti-globalization/anti-APEC summit campaign. Additionally, KTU have designed materials for education campaign, which shocked many parents and the general public because of their crassness. For instance, to arouse anger towards the United States, members of KTU used the pictures of the bodies of the two schoolgirls as teaching materials in primary schools. Along with the Iraq War, the Union distributed test questions that deliberately lead to anti-US answers, claiming to educate students for loving peace. Recent video clips shown at schools for anti-APEC campaign contained lots of curses (f—king Bush) without being filtered, which generated furore and concerns from parents’ associations as well as conservatives in South Korea.

Q16. Which of the following do you think is closest to your ideological inclination?

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