70% of Koreans Trust Biden... Xi Jinping Only 12%

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] According to a U.S. public opinion poll, the trust level of Koreans in President Joe Biden has risen to 70%. In contrast, only 12% expressed trust in Chinese President Xi Jinping. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, who decided on the invasion of Ukraine, the trust level was only about 5%.

On the 15th (local time), according to a survey by the U.S. polling agency Pew Research, the trust level of Korean citizens in President Biden increased by 3 percentage points from 67% last year, his first year in office, to 70% in the first quarter of this year, based on a survey of citizens from 17 U.S. allied countries.

This is a very high level compared to former President Donald Trump, who showed an attitude of disregarding alliances, including threats to withdraw U.S. troops from Korea. The trust level of Koreans in former President Trump rose from 17% in his first year in office in 2017 to 44% in 2018 and 46% in 2019, but plummeted back to 17% in his final year, 2020.

Looking at the trust levels in President Biden among citizens of various countries this year, Poland (82%) ranked highest, followed by Sweden (74%) and Korea. Among 14 countries with comparable data from last year, Korea was the only country where trust in the president increased compared to the previous year. The median trust level in President Biden was 60%.

Along with this, the favorable view of the U.S. among Koreans rose from 59% in 2020 to 77% last year and 89% this year.

This survey also included trust levels toward Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin, who are competing with the U.S. for hegemony, in addition to President Biden.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents from the surveyed countries said they do not trust President Xi. Only 18% said they trust him. In particular, Korea’s trust level in President Xi was 12%, far below the median.

The same was true for President Putin. Ninety percent of respondents said they do not trust him, while 9% said they do. Only about 5% of Koreans said they trust President Putin. Korea’s favorable view of Russia plummeted from 39% last year to 13% this year.