Skepticism toward unification with North Korea is rising in South Korea, with the proportions of people who view it as "unnecessary" and those who see it as "impossible" reaching record highs since 2007, when the poll started.
According to the survey on the public unification perception, released by the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies from Seoul National University on Wednesday, 35 percent of respondents indicated that unification is either "entirely unnecessary" or "not particularly necessary." These figures marked an all-time high.
Conversely, the proportion of respondents who support reunification -- whether "strongly" or "somewhat" -- has fallen to an all-time low of 36.9 percent, reflecting a considerable shift in public sentiment.
The survey, conducted by Gallup Korea between July 1 and 23, involved one-on-one interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide aged 19 and over. The survey carried a confidence level of 95 percent with a margin of error of about 2.8 percent.
The survey report revealed that 47.4 percent of respondents aged 19 to 29 viewed unification as unnecessary, while only 22.4 percent from the same age group considered it necessary. Among respondents in their 30s, 45 percent felt that reunification was unnecessary, whereas 23.9 percent believed it was necessary.
The belief that unification is unnecessary has been steadily increasing, rising from 26.7 percent in 2022 to 30 percent in 2023, according to the report. Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who consider unification necessary has declined, falling from 46 percent in 2022 and 43.8 percent in 2023.
According to the 2024 report, 33.9 percent of respondents cited the economic burden of unification as the main reason for their negative perception. Following this, 27.9 percent expressed concerns about potential social problems arising from unification, while 19.2 percent cited apprehension regarding the differences between the two Koreas' political systems.
The institute noted that the percentage of respondents who believe unification is "impossible" has reached a record high of 39 percent. The belief that unification is impossible has seen a sharp upward trend in recent years, jumping from 24.4 percent in 2021 to 31.6 percent in 2022, and 32.8 percent in 2023.
The sentiment is particularly strong among younger generations in 2024, with 45.1 percent of respondents in their 20s and 43.1 percent in their 30s viewing unification as unattainable. These figures are notably higher than those in older age groups, including 35.8 percent of respondents in their 40s, 34.7 percent in their 50s, and 38.3 percent in their 60s.
"The results suggest that among those in their 20s and 30s, there is a growing perception not only that unification is unnecessary but also that it is unattainable," the institute said in the report. "And this perception (among younger generations) suggests a growing indifference toward unification and a preference for the current division."
According to the institute, negative perceptions toward North Korea have been increasing over the last three years, with such numbers reaching their peak this year.
While 11.2 percent of South Korean respondents in 2021 answered that they felt hostile toward North Korea, this increased to 18.6 percent in 2023 before finally reaching 22.3 percent in 2024.
The institute attributed the increase in hostility toward North Korea among South Koreans this year to growing distrust in the North Korean regime and rising doubts about the possibility of reunification, particularly after North Korea abandoned its reunification policy in January.
In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for a revision of the policy on reunification, declaring South Korea the country’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy.”
The report also raised the issue that “There is no possibility of South Koreans’ perception of North Korea improving in the next year, as it isn’t possible for inter-Korean relations to improve in the short term."
“Such attitudes toward North Korea are expected to continue as it passes down between different generations and regions in South Korea," the report added.
