Over Half of People in Their 20s and 30s Say "Unification Is Not Absolutely Necessary"

Among 1,001 adults aged 20-39, 61%
China ranks as the most disliked among major diplomatic countries

More than half of people in their 20s and 30s believe that unification is not necessarily essential, according to a recent survey. Additionally, negative sentiment toward China was found to be greater than that toward North Korea.

Barun Media Citizens' Action disclosed the results of a survey conducted on men and women in their 20s and 30s on the 23rd. The survey was carried out by the Korea Opinion Reputation Research Institute (KOPRA) via mobile web from the 13th to the 18th, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points (95% confidence level).

Among the 1,001 adults aged 20 to 39 who responded, 61% expressed the opinion that unification is not necessarily required. Those who answered that it is essential accounted for 24%, while 14% responded that they were unsure.

Regarding favorability toward major diplomatic partners?North Korea, the United States, China, and Japan?the United States ranked highest at 67%, followed by Japan at 63%. Negative sentiment toward China was 91%, higher than that toward North Korea at 88%.

[Image source provided by Bareun Media Citizens' Action]

83% of respondents identified North Korea as a threat, with China ranking second at 77%. For the United States, 74% said it contributes to security, while Japan was seen as a security threat by 53% and as helpful by 37%.

Meanwhile, 82% of respondents evaluated social conflicts in South Korea as serious. By category, 83% viewed ideological conflicts between conservatives and progressives as serious, 84% saw conflicts between ruling and opposition parties as serious, and 84% considered class conflicts due to wealth disparity serious. Regional conflicts between Yeongnam and Honam areas were seen as serious by 61%.

Regarding labor union activities, 42% responded negatively, while 34% viewed them positively. Similarly, 43% had a negative reaction to strikes, and 38% had a positive reaction.

On the overall fairness of Korean society, 69% answered that it is unfair, significantly outnumbering the 20% who believed it to be fair.

Regarding marriage, 49% responded that it is better to marry, while 34% preferred living alone. However, 62% expressed a positive view toward cohabitation among unmarried men and women.