Over one-third of Koreans believe in power of violence: survey

SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- More than one-third of South Koreans believe violence
is more effective than the law and negotiations in solving a problem, a survey
showed Thursday.

The poll, conducted by the government-funded Korean Institute of Criminology,
said 37.5 percent of 1,505 respondents answered that in "many cases" it is
effective to resort to physical force to settle problems that are difficult to
resolve through legal means.
Another 34.4 percent was more reserved, answering they "don't think" that's the
case. Only 28 percent said they definitely do not think so.
The survey also found that one out of five South Koreans believe in "an eye for
an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"Korean people tend to believe in the effectiveness of violence much more than
they realize," said Yeon Sung-jin, the chief researcher of the report. "Violence
still functions as an effective tool of life in South Korean society."
brk@yna.co.kr
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