This graphic illustration shows a map of the Korean Peninsula (C), with the North marked by the North Korean flag and the South by the South Korean flag. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Korea Bizwire) – A clear majority of South Koreans continue to view unification with North Korea as a national goal, even as doubts persist about the prospects for renewed diplomacy with Pyongyang, according to a government-commissioned survey released Sunday.
Nearly 69 percent of respondents said unification remains either “very necessary” or “quite necessary,” the poll found. About 30 percent saw no need to pursue unification, and roughly 1 percent did not respond.
The survey was conducted by the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a presidential advisory body, and polled 1,000 adults nationwide in mid-September.
South Koreans cited a range of motivations for seeking unification. Thirty-one percent said a united Korea could reduce the risk of war. Others emphasized economic gains (29 percent), restoring ethnic ties (14 percent), and advancing freedom and human rights for North Koreans (12 percent).
Even so, the public remains split on whether North Korea might return to talks with the United States. Just under half of respondents said the chances were low, while about 47 percent said renewed dialogue was likely.
More than 60 percent of those polled identified the United States as the country most influential in determining the future of the peninsula. China ranked a distant second at 28 percent, followed by Russia and Japan in the low single digits.
Views toward Pyongyang also reflect ambivalence. While 47 percent of respondents said the North is a partner to be engaged and supported, 41 percent viewed it as a state that must be met with caution — and potentially hostility — when required.
Asked to assess South Korea’s security environment, respondents were evenly divided: 49.7 percent said the situation was stable, while 49.3 percent said the opposite. Reducing military tensions topped the public’s list of priorities for improving inter-Korean relations, selected by nearly 36 percent of respondents.
The survey carries a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
