Changes in Public Perception of the Need for Unification
Recent opinion polls indicate that more than half of the South Korean population believes that North and South Korea do not necessarily need to unify.
According to a national survey (NBS) conducted jointly by Embrain Public, K-Stat Research, Korea Research, and Korea Research Center, the response indicating that "we can live in the current state without unification" stands at 57%, surpassing half.
In contrast, the response stating that "unification is absolutely necessary" accounted for only 39%, with 4% responding that they did not know or refrained from answering.
Differences in Unification Awareness by Ideological Orientation and Future Relations
There were also differences in unification awareness based on ideological orientation. Among the progressive group (285 respondents), 47% said "unification is necessary," while 52% said "we can live as we are without unification."
In the conservative group (243 respondents), 34% answered "unification is necessary," and 63% said "we can live as we are without unification," indicating a higher negative perception of the need for unification among conservatives.
Regarding the future relationship between North and South Korea, 49% of respondents said they prefer "two countries with free movement."
Following this, both "a unified single nation" and "the current two-nation system" were reported equally at 20%, while the response indicating "two systems within one nation" accounted for only 6%.
In a survey measuring the affinity towards five neighboring countries, the United States ranked the highest at 62%, followed by Japan at 45%, China at 26%, North Korea at 20%, and Russia at 17%.
This survey was conducted from July 21 to 23 among 1,001 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide, utilizing telephone interviews with virtual numbers (100%) provided by the three major telecommunications companies.
The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 17.4%. More detailed information can be found on the website of the Central Elections Survey Deliberation Commission.
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