Half of the Nation Says "No Significant Change in Inter-Korean Relations in the Biden Era"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] About half of our citizens predicted that inter-Korean relations would not change much even after Joe Biden, the President-elect of the United States, takes office. Among conservatives and the politically unaffiliated, the view that there would be little difference was predominant, while among progressives, this view was relatively less common.

According to a poll conducted by Realmeter commissioned by YTN's 'The News' regarding expectations for changes in inter-Korean relations in the 'Biden era,' 48.8% responded that there would be 'no significant difference,' reaching about half, the agency announced on the 9th. Responses saying 'it will get worse' accounted for 26.5%, and those saying 'it will get better' accounted for 16.4%. Those who answered 'I don't know' were 8.2%.

In most regions, the response that 'there will be no significant difference' was the majority. In particular, about 6 out of 10 residents in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, 64.4%, responded this way. In Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, 25.7% responded that relations would 'get better,' showing a relatively higher expectation for positive changes in inter-Korean relations. On the other hand, responses saying 'it will get worse' were 37.2% in Gwangju and Jeolla, and 35.6% in Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong.

By age group, while the majority responded that 'there will be no significant difference,' the 60s age group showed the highest proportion at 58.3% compared to other age groups. In their 30s and 40s, responses were evenly split between 'no significant difference' and 'it will get worse.' Among those aged 70 and above, 17.4% answered 'I don't know,' showing a higher rate of reserved responses than other age groups.

By ideological inclination, centrists (51.2%), progressives (48.4%), and conservatives (42.1%) all mostly responded that 'there will be no significant difference.' However, among progressives, 32.1% responded that 'it will get worse,' while among conservatives, 23.1% responded that 'it will get better,' showing a contrast.

By political party support, about half of the supporters of the People Power Party and the politically unaffiliated who answered 'I do not support any party' responded that 'there will be no significant difference.' In contrast, among Democratic Party supporters, 41.1% said 'no significant difference,' and 33.4% said 'it will get worse.'

This survey contacted 8,405 adults aged 18 and over nationwide, with a final 500 respondents completing the survey, recording a response rate of 5.9%. The sampling error is ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

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