Nearly one-third of respondents in a survey across eight countries identified North Korea's denuclearization as the most crucial step to achieve the unification of the Korean Peninsula, while over half of those surveyed said they believe Russia will provide no support for the unification process.
The Unification Ministry on Tuesday unveiled the outcomes of its first-ever "Survey on Global Perception of Korean Unification," which polled 9,000 individuals aged 18 and older across eight countries: Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany, Vietnam and Poland. The survey included 2,000 respondents from the US and 1,000 from each of the other seven countries.
Gallup Korea, in collaboration with the Korea Institute for National Unification, conducted an online web-based survey from September to October 2024, utilizing panels provided by polling organizations in each participating country.
When asked about the "most necessary step" to achieve Korean unification, 33 percent of respondents pointed to "North Korea's abandonment of nuclear development," followed by 23 percent who prioritized "reducing military confrontations between South and North Korea."
The Unification Ministry said that the findings underscore key security concerns, noting, "Resolving security issues is viewed as a top priority for achieving unification."
Other priorities included promoting human rights and democratic values in North Korea at 18 percent, improving inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges at 15 percent, fostering regional security cooperation at 5 percent, and recognizing the role of international organizations and the global community at 6 percent. Figures are rounded to one decimal place.
The survey also revealed global skepticism regarding North Korea's denuclearization. When asked about the feasibility of North Korea's denuclearization, 57 percent of respondents considered the chances low or nonexistent -- more than double the 28 percent who believed it somewhat or highly likely.
Around 40 percent of respondents also expressed optimism when asked about the possibility of Korean unification, while 46 percent were skeptical about its likelihood.
Among those skeptical about unification, the leading reasons were the socio-cultural differences between the two Koreas, with 40 percent identifying this as a concern, and the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, cited by 34 percent.
When asked whether the two Koreas should be reunified, some 50 percent of respondents expressed support for unification, while around 30 percent responded with lukewarm attitudes, saying they were either "not very supportive" or "not supportive at all."
The primary reasons cited for opposing unification were "concerns about the potential for war or conflict during the unification process," accounting for 41 percent, and fears of "economic and social chaos in a post-unification era," making up 28 percent.
When asked about the extent to which various entities might assist in the unification of North and South Korea, 50.7 percent of respondents identified Russia as providing no assistance -- the highest percentage among the listed entities.
China followed, with 34.9 percent of respondents expressing skepticism about Beijing's support for the unification process.
By contrast, significantly fewer respondents viewed other entities as unhelpful: 26.1 percent for ASEAN, 25.8 percent for the EU, 22.3 percent for Japan, 21.4 percent for the UN, and 20.7 percent for the US.
On the positive side, the UN and the US were seen as the most likely to contribute to unification, with 45.2 percent and 44.6 percent of respondents, respectively, believing they would lend support.
Other results showed that 39.1 percent of respondents believed Japan would help with the unification of the Korean Peninsula, followed by 38.2 percent for the EU, 33.3 percent for China, 29.1 percent for ASEAN, and 24.7 percent for Russia. Among these entities, Russia was seen as offering the least help.
The Unification Ministry said its first global poll on perceptions of Korean Peninsula unification represented a step toward "globalizing the unification discourse."
As part of the August 15 Unification Doctrine, the initiative underscores the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s departure from a government-centric, supplier-driven narrative, instead embracing demand-oriented public diplomacy to rally international support for unification.
The ministry aims to make the survey an annual effort, building a robust database to muster global backing for unification and advance research on unification-related issues both domestically and internationally.
The survey featured 30 questions, including 25 shared across all respondents on Korean unification, North Korea's nuclear program, and human rights -- plus five tailored to each country. The survey was conducted with a 95 percent confidence level and a margin of error of 1.02 percentage points in either direction.
