The ruling party is quickly losing public support as the controversy widens over the new labor laws, which are scheduled to go into effect March 1.
Opinion polls completed last month after the ruling New Korea Party railroaded the bill through the Assembly show that a majority of people oppose the laws despite the ruling party's claim that the new labor legislation will help improve the sagging national economy.
The NKP, in fact, appears to be facing its most serious political crisis since the inauguration of the present administration. Many political observers believe that unless the ruling party takes some steps to recover its popularity, it may suffer during the presidential election scheduled for December. A survey conducted over the weekend by the independent Hankyoreh newspaper showed that some 30 percent of respondents no longer support the ruling party.
More eye-catching is the result of a recent poll carried out in Pusan, the hometown and power base of President Kim Young-sam.
An overwhelming majority of the pollees, 75 percent, said they support the labor strikes against the new labor law. The result indicates that the NKP has begun to lose ground in its stronghold over the unpopular labor law.
(CSC