7 out of 10 Koreans Say "Remnants of Pro-Japanese Collaboration Remain Unresolved After Liberation"

Majority of Koreans Believe Pro-Japanese Remnants Remain Unresolved
Public Opinion Poll Reveals Widespread Support for Further Action and Sincere Apology from Japan

A recent survey found that 7 out of 10 Koreans believe that, even 80 years after liberation in 1945, the remnants of pro-Japanese collaboration have not been eradicated.

Prime Minister Minseok Kim is presenting the Order of Merit at the repatriation ceremony for six independence patriots buried in the United States, Brazil, and Canada who returned to their homeland after 80 years of liberation. The ceremony was held on the morning of the 13th at the Hyeonchung Hall in the Seoul National Cemetery, Dongjak-gu, Seoul. The patriots returning to the homeland this time are Yangmok Moon (Independence Medal, 1995), Deokyun Kim (Patriotic Medal, 1990), Giju Kim (National Foundation Medal, 1990), Eunggyu Han (National Foundation Medal, 1990), Changmo Im (National Foundation Medal, 2019), and Jaeun Kim (National Foundation Medal, 2002). Photo by Cheongsa Press Photographers Team

According to the Liberation Association on August 13, a public opinion poll was conducted to mark the 80th anniversary of liberation. The survey, commissioned by Korea Data World and carried out from August 1 to 7, targeted 1,000 members of the general public and 850 descendants of independence patriots. The results showed that 70.9% of the general public and 78.0% of independence patriots' descendants responded that "the remnants of pro-Japanese collaboration have not been cleared away since liberation."

Regarding the statement "the descendants of anti-national collaborators still exert influence throughout society," 63.6% of the general public and 70.2% of independence patriots' descendants agreed.

When asked whether "it is still necessary to clear away the remnants of pro-Japanese collaboration," 71.8% of the general public and 83.1% of independence patriots' descendants responded affirmatively.

When asked about the most important factor for improving Korea-Japan relations, the general public responded as follows: "A sincere apology and reflection from Japan" (30.5%), "Joint historical research and educational cooperation to prevent historical distortion" (17.1%), and "Maintaining consistent diplomatic principles rather than political exploitation" (11.5%).

The survey of the general public has a margin of error of ±3.09 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, while the survey of independence patriots' descendants has a margin of error of ±3.19 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

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