ADRN

Nearly 70 percent of the respondents in a recent survey said they believe President Lee Myung-bak's plan to build a giant canal across the country needs to be "reconsidered or be scrapped altogether." Even the remaining 30 percent that agreed with the plan said it should be put into action "carefully" and only after first considering public opinion.

The result is from a survey by the JoongAng Ilbo, SBS, the East Asia Institute and Korea Research. They questioned a random group of 1,153 people 19 years of age or older nationwide last Thursday and Friday. The poll had a 95 percent confidence level, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percent.

Some 44 percent of the same group said they wanted to see "stability and harmony" in the presidential leadership. Another 30 percent said they wanted "practical, CEO-like leadership," while the rest said they wanted a "strong president who has power and drive."

"The respondants' answers show that the public generally wants to see harmony in presidential leadership," said Suh Hyun-jin, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University who participated in the study.

"And the grand canal project is one factor that the public sees as an obstacle for the president," she added.

Supporters of the conservative Grand National and the Liberty Forward parties mostly opted for a strong president, while supporters of the liberal United Democratic, Democratic Labor and New Progressive parties favored "stability and harmony" in his leadership.

On another issue, 33 percent thought Pro-Park Geun-hye lawmakers should be accepted back into the Grand National Party.

[Figure1] Public Opinion on the Giant New Canal