By Ko Dong-hwan





A poll showed that Ahn Cheol-soo's new political party is eagerly anticipated by almost half the supporters of opposition Democratic Party.

/ Courtesy of polinews.co.kr

A poll revealed that a new party to be launched by independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo will attract twice the volume of supporters for the opposition Democratic Party, sources reported on Wednesday.

When the poll asked, "Once Ahn's new party is established, which party will you support?", 37.9 percent indicated the Saenuri Party, 27.3 percent Ahn's party, and 12.1 percent the Democratic Party.

Among those intending to support Ahn's party, 12.7 percent are current supporters of the Saenuri Party and 48.6 percent those of the Democratic Party.

As to "why support Ahn's party?" the most number of respondents, 41.6 percent, cited "disappointment with the party I support," 34.1 percent "out of hope for the new party," 12.4 percent "personal liking for Ahn," and 11.3 percent "agreeing with the new party's principles and ideological goals."

On "how influential will Ahn's party be during next year's local elections?", 14.3 percent responded "huge influence," 48.7 percent "moderate influence" and 63 percent "definitely influential regardless of the level of impact."

The poll was conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) from Saturday to Sunday on 700 people aged 19 or older.

"Support for Ahn's new party visibly have more traction from those supporting the Democratic Party and liberal-minded voters," said an official from KSOI.

"With the recent massive media coverage on the new party's imminent debut, people seem to have greater interest in the issue than early this month."