COVID-19, BTS, Parasite Effect... 74% of Americans Say "Korea is a Partner"

Chicago Council on Global Affairs Favorability Survey... Highest Since 1978
North Korea and China at Lowest Levels

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] A survey revealed that the favorability rating of the United States public toward Korea reached an all-time high of 60 out of 100 points.

According to the results announced on the 19th (local time) by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA), a U.S. foreign affairs polling organization, supported by the Korea Foundation (KF), the favorability rating of the American public toward Korea was 60 out of 100 points.

The survey was conducted from July to the 19th, targeting 2,111 adults across the United States. The CCGA stated that this is the highest level since the first survey in 1978, analyzing that Korea's response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the popularity of K-pop, and the Academy Award win of the movie "Parasite" influenced the results.

Seventy-four percent of respondents considered the U.S. and Korea as partners. In the first survey conducted in 2012 on this question, the figure was 65%.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents said that the U.S. trades fairly with Korea, a significant increase from 53% in 2017.

The favorability rating toward North Korea was 9 points. North Korea scored 34 points in the first survey conducted in 1994 and mostly remained in the 20-30 point range, but this time it plummeted below 10 points.

Fifty-one percent of respondents perceived North Korea's nuclear weapons as a serious threat to the U.S., which is 24 percentage points lower than the 75% during the 2017 North Korean nuclear crisis.

The favorability rating toward China was 32 points, the lowest ever, while Japan recorded an all-time high of 65 points..

Fifty-five percent of respondents felt that China's rise is a serious threat, up from 42% last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.