67.2% of Citizens Respond "Peace Declaration Needed"... But Conditioned on 'North Korea's Denuclearization'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] A public opinion survey revealed that 67.2% of the people believe a declaration of the end of the war is necessary. However, the dominant perception was that North Korea's denuclearization or public consensus is required for this to happen.

The National Unification Advisory Council (hereinafter referred to as the NUAC) announced on the 26th that in the "4th Quarter National Peace and Unification Opinion Survey," 67.2% of respondents answered that a declaration of the end of the war is necessary, while only 27.6% responded that it was unnecessary. Compared to the 3rd quarter survey results, the perception that it is "necessary" increased by 0.6 percentage points, and the perception that it is "unnecessary" decreased by 1.8 percentage points.

The survey, commissioned by the NUAC to the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), was conducted over two days from the 20th to the 21st, targeting 1,000 adult men and women aged 19 and older nationwide.

As a result, 38.3% responded that a declaration of the end of the war is very necessary. The response "somewhat necessary" also accounted for 28.9%. On the other hand, 11.5% answered "not necessary at all," and 16.1% said "not very necessary."

Regarding the tasks for a declaration of the end of the war on the Korean Peninsula, 38.2% of respondents chose "North Korea's denuclearization measures," followed by "public consensus (28.6%)," "international community support (13.9%)," and "changes in the U.S. North Korea policy (13.0%)."

Regarding the impact of Pope Francis's visit to North Korea on the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, 48.9% of respondents answered that it "would not be helpful" (18.9% not at all + 30.0% not much). The proportion who answered that it "would be helpful" was also 48.7% (17.2% very + 31.5% somewhat), showing a close division of opinions.

Regarding the possibility of a South-North summit meeting triggered by the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a majority of 53.9% of respondents (13.9% not at all + 40.0% not much) perceived it as "unlikely."

Meanwhile, the desirable future vision of the Korean Peninsula perceived by the public in the 4th quarter was surveyed as follows: "a unified state like East and West Germany" at 35.5%, "a state with free economic exchange cooperation like the European Union" at 35.2%, and "good neighborly relations like the United States and Canada" at 25.7%, in that order.

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