North Korean Missiles Changed 'Unification Perception'... 1 in 10 Students Say "North Korea is the Enemy"

Survey on Student Perceptions at 734 Elementary, Middle, and High Schools Nationwide
38% Say "North Korea is a Threat"... 55% Feel "Instability on the Korean Peninsula"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] As North Korea's nuclear and missile threats persist, students' perceptions of North Korea and unification have changed. In particular, the proportion of those who view North Korea as a subject of caution and perceive the Korean Peninsula as not peaceful has significantly increased.

The Ministry of Unification announced the results of the 2022 School Unification Education Survey on the 17th. The survey was conducted from October 18 to November 22 last year, targeting 65,966 students and 4,903 teachers and administrators from 734 elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide.

Ministry of Unification Photo by Yonhap News

The survey results showed a decrease in the perception of North Korea as a partner and an increase in the perception of North Korea as a subject of caution. The percentage of students who responded that 'North Korea is a partner' was 52.6% in 2021, but it dropped significantly to 38.7% this time. The same response among teachers also decreased from 80.3% in 2021 to 76.9%.

On the other hand, the response that 'North Korea is a subject of caution' increased from 27.1% in 2021 to 38.1% last year among students. Among teachers, it slightly increased from 9.3% to 11.8%. Notably, 10.9% of students perceived North Korea as a 'hostile subject.'

The perception that 'the division of the Korean Peninsula affects one's life' and the perception that inter-Korean relations are 'not peaceful' also increased. The percentage of students who felt that division affects their lives was 32.9%, slightly up from 27.4% in 2021, and only 9.8% viewed inter-Korean relations as peaceful. The percentage of students who answered 'inter-Korean relations are not peaceful' reached 55.7%, a significant increase of more than 20% compared to 30.2% in 2021. Among teachers, the response that inter-Korean relations are not peaceful was 72.5%, double the 36.8% recorded in 2021.

Students' perception of the necessity of unification slightly declined, but teachers' perceptions remained similar to the previous year. Both students and teachers cited 'resolving the threat of war' as the reason unification is necessary. Regarding obstacles to unification, students most frequently selected 'North Korea's military threat,' while teachers most often chose 'the unchanging North Korean regime.'

The Ministry of Unification evaluated that unification education is being stably conducted in frontline schools, based on the fact that 82.7% of students and 90.4% of teachers responded that they have experienced unification education at school. Furthermore, teachers answered that ▲creating social consensus and ▲developing teaching and learning materials are necessary to revitalize education.

A Ministry of Unification official said, "We will strengthen unification education on topics of interest to future generations such as 'benefits of unification' and 'the reality of North Korea,' and support the development of new content including the metaverse and the expansion of experiential education."