South Koreans Most Pessimistic About Trump's Presidency
Only 11% Say "Good," 67% Say "Bad"
Higher Positive Responses in India, Ukraine, and Others
In a survey on the impact of Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president on various countries, South Koreans among the 24 surveyed nations showed the most pessimistic stance. On the 14th (local time), the British newspaper The Guardian reported, "The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), an EU foreign policy think tank, asked respondents from the surveyed countries whether 'Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president is a good or bad thing for your country.'"
President-elect of the United States Donald Trump (right) and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
In the survey, pro-American countries such as South Korea showed a prevailing pessimistic opinion that a second Trump administration would have a negative impact on their countries, while in other countries, the opinion that Trump’s presidency would be beneficial was more prominent. In South Korea, 11% responded ‘good’ and 67% ‘bad,’ making it the country with the lowest positive response rate and the highest negative response rate among the surveyed nations.
In the UK, the positive to negative ratio was 15% to 54%, in 11 EU countries it was 22% to 38%, and in Switzerland 23% to 34%, with negative responses generally higher. The ‘11 EU countries’ refer to Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.
On the other hand, India showed 84% positive to 6% negative, Saudi Arabia 61% to 10%, Russia 49% to 8%, China 46% to 18%, Brazil 43% to 25%, South Africa 36% to 24%, T?rkiye 35% to 30%, and Indonesia 30% to 16%, with positive responses being higher.
Earlier, in Ukraine, where Trump pledged to end the war within 24 hours of taking office, the mood was welcoming toward a second Trump term with 26% positive to 20% negative. However, at a press conference held on the 7th at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump revised his target period for resolving the Ukraine war, saying, “I hope there is a six-month timeframe” to end the conflict.
Regarding the survey results, ECFR stated, "America’s long-standing allies lament Trump’s return to power, but almost all other countries do not," and particularly assessed that Europe’s relationship with the U.S. is "at a crossroads." ECFR pointed out, "Europeans need to recognize that international relations will increasingly take on a ‘transactional’ nature," and added, "Europeans should respond to the real world by understanding their strengths rather than trying to lead a global progressive opposition against Trump."
Donald Trump will officially be inaugurated as the 47th president at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on the 20th. Having won the presidential election last November, Trump will become the second ‘bridge-term’ president in U.S. history to regain the presidency after failing in a re-election bid following a single term.
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