Survey on Unification Awareness Among the 2030 Generation... 64% Say "Unification is Necessary"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Unification on the unification awareness of the 2030 generation, 64% responded that "unification is necessary." However, concerns about the massive tax burden resulting from unification were also significant.

The Ministry of Unification announced on the 29th that, based on a survey conducted from January 19 to 27 targeting 2,000 men and women nationwide aged 19 to 39, 64.3% answered that 'unification of South and North Korea is necessary' to the question.

Among the responses, 15.4% said 'very necessary,' and 48.9% said 'somewhat necessary.' On the other hand, 25.3% answered 'not very necessary,' and 10.5% said 'not necessary at all.'

Regarding the government's 'National Community Unification Plan,' 65.7% expressed agreement, including 14.0% who said they 'strongly agree,' while 34.5% did not agree.

Related to unification awareness, 58.2% agreed with the opinion that 'unification of South and North Korea raises the international status of both Koreas,' while 17.4% disagreed. Additionally, 55.2% and 59.7% agreed respectively that 'unification helps develop the culture of the Korean people' and 'unification contributes to peace in Northeast Asia and the world,' while 20.9% and 15.8% disagreed. About 24% responded 'neutral,' taking a middle stance.

When asked about the benefits of unification, 58.2% answered that 'unification is necessary to resolve the pain of separated families,' and 47.2% agreed that unification is needed to create jobs and secure new growth engines. Also, 45.9% responded that 'unification is necessary to alleviate public anxiety following peace settlement.' On the other hand, only 39.6% agreed with the opinion that 'unification is necessary to improve human rights for North Korean residents.'

Among the side effects of unification, concerns about a 'tax bomb' outweighed worries about social chaos. 34.3% agreed with the statement 'unification should not be pursued due to massive tax increases, budget input, and reduction of welfare,' surpassing the 27.3% who disagreed. The 'neutral' response accounted for 38.5%.

Regarding the statement 'unification should not be pursued due to social chaos caused by the mixing of heterogeneous cultures,' 27.3% agreed, while 35.4% disagreed. For the statement 'unification should not be pursued because it will not be economically beneficial even if it happens,' 23.5% agreed and 37.5% disagreed.

Regarding the relationship between South and North Korea, the answer 'pursue unification after peaceful coexistence' accounted for the largest share at 37.4%, and 'decide whether to pursue unification by future generations after peaceful coexistence' recorded 28.8%. 18.5% said 'maintain a permanent state of peaceful coexistence,' and 15.5% said 'pursue peaceful coexistence and unification simultaneously.'

When asked whether they consider North Korea as a member of the Korean people, 47.5% agreed, including 9.0% who 'strongly agree.' Conversely, 18.2% disagreed, including 6.1% who 'strongly disagree.'

Overall, despite a positive perception of unification, it was found that 3 out of 5 people in the 2030 generation have never participated in any programs related to unification or Korean Peninsula issues. When asked about participation in unification-related programs, 66.2% answered 'never.'

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