When asked if they would participate in a war with the North... only 13.9% said "Yes"

48.2% Responded They Will Provide Rear Support to the Military

Citizens are watching news related to the bombing of the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line. Photo by Yonhap News

As North Korea blew up sections of the inter-Korean connecting roads on the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line, escalating military tensions between the two Koreas, a survey revealed that only 13.9% of South Koreans said they would participate in a war if it broke out on the Korean Peninsula.

Hwang Hee, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, cited the results of the "2023 Nationwide Security Awareness Survey" recently conducted by the Korea National Defense University. The survey was conducted in June 2023, targeting 1,200 adults aged 18 to under 75 (face-to-face interviews) and 100 defense and security experts (web survey).

According to the survey, when asked "If a war breaks out in our country," only 13.9% of respondents answered that they would "participate in combat if possible." This figure is significantly lower compared to the same survey results conducted in 2014 (22.7%) and 2020 (20.9%). Additionally, 27.3% responded that they would "evacuate to a safer place," and 3.2% said they would "go abroad."

However, 48.2% of respondents said they would "support the military from the rear, even if they cannot directly participate in combat," marking the highest percentage since the survey began in 2014.

Regarding the overall security situation of the country, 38.9% of respondents answered that it is "somewhat unstable," while 2.7% said it is "very unstable." In total, 41.6% of the public expressed concern about domestic security conditions. Conversely, only 2% responded that the situation is "very stable," and 26.7% said it is "somewhat stable."

The percentage of respondents who felt the security situation was "unstable" increased by 10.7 percentage points compared to 2022 (30.9%), while those who felt it was "stable" decreased by 9.8 percentage points from 38.4% in 2022 to 28.7%.

Representative Hwang stated, "With recent military tensions rising between the two Koreas, public anxiety and concern are increasing," and added, "The North and South must urgently resume dialogue channels and actively engage in talks."