South Koreans are less concerned about climate change now than they were five years ago, though nearly 90 percent of them think the global challenge will affect them personally at some point in the future, a U.S. survey showed Monday.

The Pew Research survey of 45,435 people in 40 countries around the world showed that 48 percent of the South Korean respondents believe that climate change is a very serious problem, a sharp drop compared with 68 percent who thought the same way in 2010.

South Korea had the third-highest drop in the proportions of people with serious concerns about climate change since 2010.

Turkey had the biggest drop from 74 percent to 37 percent, followed by China from 41 percent to 18 percent, the survey showed.

Japan also saw the rate fall to 45 percent from 58 percent.

Despite such drops, a majority of people around the world -- 54 percent -- view climate change as serious problem and some 78 percent support the idea of their country limiting greenhouse gas emissions as part of an international agreement that an upcoming U.N. climate change conference in Paris will attempt to negotiate, according to the poll.

Latin American countries were most concerned about climate change with 74 percent on average, followed by African nations with

61 percent and European countries with 54 percent.

The survey also showed that 89 percent of South Koreans are concerned that climate change will harm them personally at some point in the future. The figure breaks down into 32 percent who said they were very concerned and 57 percent who said they were somewhat concerned.

The global average of the figures was 72 percent.South Koreans are less concerned about climate change now than they were five years ago, though nearly 90 percent of them think the global challenge will affect them personally at some point in the future, a U.S. survey showed Monday.

The Pew Research survey of 45,435 people in 40 countries around the world showed that 48 percent of the South Korean respondents believe that climate change is a very serious problem, a sharp drop compared with 68 percent who thought the same way in 2010.

South Korea had the third-highest drop in the proportions of people with serious concerns about climate change since 2010.

Turkey had the biggest drop from 74 percent to 37 percent, followed by China from 41 percent to 18 percent, the survey showed.

Japan also saw the rate fall to 45 percent from 58 percent.

Despite such drops, a majority of people around the world -- 54 percent -- view climate change as serious problem and some 78 percent support the idea of their country limiting greenhouse gas emissions as part of an international agreement that an upcoming U.N. climate change conference in Paris will attempt to negotiate, according to the poll.

Latin American countries were most concerned about climate change with 74 percent on average, followed by African nations with

61 percent and European countries with 54 percent.

The survey also showed that 89 percent of South Koreans are concerned that climate change will harm them personally at some point in the future. The figure breaks down into 32 percent who said they were very concerned and 57 percent who said they were somewhat concerned.

The global average of the figures was 72 percent. (Yonhap)