On April 17, members of Save the Children’s child- and youth-led group ‘Global Climate Fan Club Assembly’ performed a piece calling for action on the climate crisis. This event took place in front of the Seoul Urban Architecture Exhibition Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, following the presentation of their climate crisis awareness survey results. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jun. 6 (Korea Bizwire) –Nine out of 10 South Koreans perceive the effects of climate change and believe their nation is facing a climate crisis, according to the results of an online survey on climate change released by the Korea Meteorological Administration on June 4.
The survey, conducted through the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission’s public opinion platform, drew responses from 1,706 participants.
When asked, “Do you feel the effects of climate change in South Korea?” an overwhelming 90.1% responded affirmatively, with 43.7% answering “very much so” and 46.4% saying “yes.”
Just 8.1% of respondents felt indifferent, while a mere 1.7% said they did not feel the effects of climate change, with 1.1% saying “no” and 0.6% responding “not at all.”
Participants cited experiencing heavy rains outside of the typical monsoon season, prolonged heat waves, and unseasonably early blooming of plants like winter daffodils as moments when climate change feels palpable.
On the question of whether South Korea is currently facing a climate crisis, 89.9% answered in the affirmative, while 1.4% disagreed and 8.4% considered the situation as moderate.
When asked which age group is most vulnerable to climate change, 30.1% of respondents identified infants and toddlers as being at highest risk, followed by the elderly at 26.7%, teenagers at 15.8%, middle-aged adults at 13.1%, and young adults at 13%.
Heat waves were viewed as the most impactful meteorological phenomenon resulting from climate change, cited by 53.8%, while 27.5% pointed to concentrated heavy rainfall and flooding.
The areas considered most affected were food supply, according to 45% of respondents, and ecosystems, chosen by 26.3%.
An overwhelming 87% of survey participants were aware that the Korea Meteorological Administration is the nation’s leading agency for monitoring and forecasting climate change, far outweighing the 13% who were unaware of this role.
Moreover, 92.6% recognized monitoring and forecasting as critical for responding to the climate crisis. Regarding the preferred timespan for climate predictions, 38.4% of respondents favored a range of 10 to 30 years, followed by 33.8% who preferred a 50-year forecast.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
