South Korean public opinion has swiftly turned positive over North Korea's participation in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, since the reclusive country decided last week to join the international event in the South, a local big data analysis firm said Monday.
During high-level inter-Korean talks Tuesday, the North agreed to send a delegation, including a cheering squad, to the Olympics.
This file photo taken on Sept. 27, 2014, shows North Koreans supporting their athletes in the men`s wrestling competition at the Asian Games in Incheon. (Yonhap)
The Daumsoft analysis of 14.35 million domestic blog posts, 448.86 million tweets and 900,000 news stories posted from Dec. 1-Jan. 9, showed 54 percent were negative about the North's entry, while 46 percent were positive.
Two common postings were "I'm worried about financially supporting the North Korean delegation's stay" and "I oppose the North's participation itself."
Among frequently posted positive comments were "I welcome the participation" and "The North's participation will mean no provocations during the Olympics."
After the North's participation was announced on Jan. 9, however, the overall opinion turned positive. Of those surveyed from Jan. 9-12, 64 percent of online comments approved of the North's participation, with the most widely used word being, "welcome," while 36 percent were against it.
The games are scheduled for Feb. 9-25 in the South Korean alpine town of PyeongChang. (Yonhap)