"Still the United States"... 9 out of 10 South Koreans Say U.S. Is the Most Important Ally

Only 13% See the U.S. as the Greatest Threat
Israel and Japan Also Prioritize the U.S.
Canada and Mexico Hold Strongly Negative Views of the U.S.

Nine out of ten South Koreans perceive the United States as the country's most important ally.

On July 8 (local time), Pew Research Center, an American polling organization, released the results of a survey on perceptions of key allies and threats among citizens of 25 major countries. According to the findings, 89% of South Korean respondents identified the United States as South Korea's most important ally.

The survey targeting South Koreans was conducted from February 28 to March 29. This was before U.S. President Donald Trump began to intensify the trade war with reciprocal tariffs following his inauguration. When asked about the greatest threat to South Korea, 40% of respondents cited North Korea, followed by China at 33%. Only 13% and 1% identified the United States and Russia, respectively, as the greatest threat.

The tendency among South Koreans to prioritize the United States as an ally was more pronounced than in other surveyed countries, along with Israel and Japan. In the same survey, 95% of Israelis and 78% of Japanese respondents also named the United States as their most important ally.

Canada (55%), the United Kingdom (51%), and Poland (43%) followed in terms of the proportion of respondents who considered the United States a key ally. Despite President Trump's "51st state" remark, half of Canadians still regarded the United States as an important ally. However, 59% of Canadians also identified the United States as the greatest threat, indicating the coexistence of both anti-American and pro-American sentiments. Similarly, Mexicans?who are currently at odds with the United States over issues such as illegal immigration and tariffs?also cited the United States as the most threatening country.

Politico, a U.S. political media outlet, commented on the survey, stating, "Not to mention Russia, North Korea, and Iran, now a majority of Canadians see their neighbor, the United States, as their country's greatest threat," adding that "this clearly demonstrates the shift in perceptions of the United States during the Trump era."

Among European countries, the proportion of respondents who identified Russia as the greatest threat was higher than in other regions. This is attributed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In particular, 81% of Polish respondents named Russia as the greatest threat, while the figure was 77% for Sweden and 59% for Germany, reflecting strong negative perceptions of Russia.

Japan had the highest proportion of respondents who viewed China as the greatest threat, at 53%. This was followed by Australia at 52% and the United States at 42%.

This survey was conducted from January 8 to April 26, targeting 28,033 people in 25 major countries, including the United States. The South Korean survey was carried out via telephone interviews with 1,042 adults aged 18 and older.