South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands during an official welcoming ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 26, 2023. (Yonhap)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Korea Bizwire) — A majority of South Koreans hold a positive view of the United States and President Joe Biden while more than seven out of every 10 South Koreans also believe the U.S. contributes to global peace and stability, a poll showed Tuesday.
In a 23-nation survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, 79 percent of those polled in South Korea said they hold a positive opinion of the U.S., significantly higher than the 23-country median of 59 percent.
The reading for South Korea marks a 10-percentage point drop from 89 percent in 2022, the highest since at least 2000.
The research center did not offer any specific reasons for the drop.
Seoul-Washington relations became slightly more turbulent after the U.S. president signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, both of which were viewed to have somewhat disadvantaged South Korean companies.
When asked if they had confidence in Biden to handle global affairs, 59 percent of South Koreans said they did, down from 70 percent in 2022, according to the poll. The 23-nation median was at 54 percent.
Eighty-nine percent of South Korean respondents also said the U.S. interferes in other countries’ affairs, compared with a median of 82 percent across all countries surveyed.
Seventy-four percent of South Koreans said the U.S. contributes to peace and stability around the world, compared with a 23-country median of 61 percent.
The poll was conducted from Feb. 20 to May 22, involving 27,285 adults in the 23 countries surveyed.
In South Korea, the poll was conducted on 1,735 people aged 18 or older between March 3 and April 7, according to the Pew Research Center.
(Yonhap)
