25% of Students Say "No Need for Unification"... Increasing for 3 Consecutive Years

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] A survey found that one in four elementary, middle, and high school students nationwide believes that unification is not necessary.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Unification announced on the 18th that an online survey conducted from November 1 to December 10 last year targeted a total of 72,524 students from 734 elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide, revealing these results.

61.2% of students responded that "unification is necessary," while 25.0% said "unification is not necessary." The percentage of students answering "unification is not necessary" has increased for three consecutive years, from 19.4% in 2019 to 24.2% in 2020, and 25.0% last year.

Regarding the reasons why unification is necessary, 27.2% cited "elimination of war threats," 25.5% said "same ethnicity," and 20.9% mentioned "resolving the pain of separated families." On the other hand, among the reasons for unification being unnecessary, 29.8% pointed to "economic burden," 25.0% to "social problems," and 17.0% to "differences in political systems between South and North Korea."

The percentage of students who answered that North Korea is a "partner for cooperation" was 52.6%, slightly down from 54.7% the previous year.

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