Forty-five percent of respondents in a recent survey said state-funded organizations should defer their plans to offer permanent positions to contract or part-time workers, versus 40 percent who said they should go ahead, amid an ongoing controversy over such plan by the Incheon airport operator.

The Incheon International Airport Corp. announced last week its plan to shift the job status of some 1,902 security workers to permanent, sparking a social and political debate over how it would affect other job seekers who work hard to get into the company.

In a poll of 500 adults conducted by Realmeter, 45 percent said state-funded organizations should put off giving irregular workers permanent status, which entails insurance, higher job security and higher pay, in consideration of possible reverse discrimination.

Forty percent said they should keep going with providing more irregular workers permanent status in a bid to transform Korea’s hiring structure in the long term.

By cohort, respondents in their 20s were the highest percentage of those supporting the deferment – 56 percent, according to the pollster.

The poll, commissioned by broadcaster YTN, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points with a 95 percent confidence level.

Approval ratings for President Moon Jae-in’s job performance marked 53.3 percent in the fourth week of June, down 0.1 percentage point from the previous week, Realmeter said.

Negative assessment of Moon’s performance climbed 0.9 percentage points to 42.7 percent. Four percent did not respond or said they didn’t know.

Approval ratings for political parties marked 41.2 percent for the ruling Democratic Party; 28.1 percent for the main opposition United Future Party; 5.6 percent for the Open Minjoo Party; 4.2 percent for the Justice Party; and 3.7 percent for the People’s Party.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)​