SEOUL, About one-third or 33.2 percent of South Koreans found a six-month suspension of ruling People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok over a sexual bribery scandal "appropriate" while 31 percent found it excessive and 27.5 percent said it was insufficient, a survey showed Monday.
Lee had his party membership suspended for six months last week over allegations that he received sexual services paid for by a businessman seeking his influence in 2013 and attempted to cover up the wrongdoing earlier this year after the allegations surfaced.
Lee has pleaded innocence.
PPP supporters were sharply divided over the ethics committee's decision, with 39.2 percent saying it was appropriate and 39.9 percent saying it was too heavy. Only 14.2 percent of PPP supporters thought it was too light.
The poll of 1,002 voters, commissioned by local broadcaster TBS and conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) from Friday to Saturday, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
Source: Yonhap News Agency