68% of South Koreans Say "Unification Is Necessary"... 47% View North Korea as a Partner for Cooperation and Support

More than two out of three South Koreans believe that unification is necessary, according to a recent survey. In addition, nearly half of the public views North Korea as a partner for cooperation and support.

According to the third-quarter national unification opinion poll released by the National Unification Advisory Council on October 26, 68.6% of respondents said that unification between South and North Korea is necessary (35.5% said it is "very necessary" and 33.1% said it is "somewhat necessary"). Meanwhile, 30.4% responded that unification is unnecessary (19.0% said it is "not very necessary" and 11.4% said it is "not necessary at all"), while 1.0% responded "don't know/no answer."

On the 4th, U.S. Forces Korea and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces were on duty at Panmunjom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. October 4, 2022. /Photo by Joint Press Corps

The percentage of respondents who said unification is necessary was 74.6% in the third quarter of last year. Since then, the figure has gradually declined, dropping to 65.6% in the fourth quarter of last year, 67.9% in the first quarter of this year, and 68.9% in the second quarter of this year.

The main reasons cited for the need for unification were the elimination of the threat of war (31.1%), economic development (29.4%), restoration of national homogeneity (14.4%), and realization of freedom and human rights (12.3%). In addition, when asked which country has the greatest influence on unification, the United States was cited most frequently (60.2%), followed by China (28.3%), Russia (3.7%), and Japan (2.4%).

When asked how they view North Korea, 47.3% of respondents said it is a partner for cooperation and support, while 40.8% saw it as an object of vigilance or hostility. Regarding South Korea's security situation, responses were nearly evenly split between "stable" (49.7%) and "unstable" (49.3%).

When asked what should be prioritized to shift inter-Korean relations from hostility and confrontation to reconciliation and cooperation, the most common response was "military tension reduction measures, such as halting hostile acts between the two Koreas," at 35.7%. Regarding the possibility of resuming a North Korea-United States summit, more respondents believed it was unlikely (49.1%) than likely (46.8%).

This survey was conducted by polling agency Global R&C Co., Ltd. via telephone interviews with 1,000 people aged 19 and older nationwide from September 12 to 14. The response rate was 9.7%, and the maximum margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.