The survey of 1,001 adults conducted from Tuesday to Thursday found that 65 percent supported South Korea possessing nuclear weapons, compared with 30 percent who opposed the idea.
Support reached 78 percent among supporters of the main opposition People Power Party, 60 percent among supporters of the ruling Democratic Party and 64 percent among politically unaffiliated respondents.
The result suggests support for an independent nuclear capability has become a persistent feature of South Korean public opinion. Gallup Korea surveys conducted after North Korea's fifth nuclear test in 2016 and sixth test in 2017 found support at 58 percent and 60 percent, respectively.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated in June that North Korea had assembled around 60 nuclear warheads and possessed enough fissile material for at least 30 more.
Despite strong public support for nuclear armament, Seoul remains a non-nuclear weapons state and relies on U.S. extended deterrence, including Washington's nuclear umbrella.
The poll also showed that support for nuclear weapons is not driven solely by fears of imminent conflict.
Only 39 percent said they believed North Korea could actually start a war, while 55 percent said it could not. Even among those who saw no real risk of war, 58 percent still supported South Korea possessing nuclear weapons.
Gallup Korea said the findings suggest many respondents may view nuclear weapons primarily as a deterrent rather than as weapons intended for actual use.
Academy integration faces resistance
On the government's plan to integrate the three service academies, 58 percent said they should remain separate, while 30 percent supported integration.
The issue showed a sharp partisan divide. Among Democratic Party supporters, 54 percent backed integration, while 85 percent of People Power Party supporters and 70 percent of unaffiliated respondents opposed it.
The government and ruling party agreed in July to establish a four-year integrated National Military Academy at Jaundae in Daejeon, replacing the existing service-specific academy structure.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back has argued that the reform would reduce institutional silos and better prepare officers for joint and all-domain warfare. Alumni groups and other critics, however, say integration could weaken the distinct expertise and traditions of each service.
Public split over OPCON timeline
South Koreans were more evenly divided over the transfer of wartime operational control, or OPCON, from the United States.
Forty-six percent said the transfer should be completed during President Lee Jae Myung's term, which ends in 2030, while 41 percent favored delaying it.
Among self-described progressives, 74 percent supported completing the transfer during Lee's term, compared with 27 percent among conservatives. Among moderates, 48 percent supported the move and 43 percent opposed it.
Seoul and Washington have agreed that OPCON transfer should be conditions-based rather than tied solely to a fixed date. The allies are currently in the second stage of a three-phase verification process, known as full operational capability.
The Lee government has made completing the transition during his term a major defense objective.
70 percent see South Korean military as stronger
Seventy percent of respondents said South Korea's military was stronger than North Korea's, while 21 percent viewed the North as superior.
The latest South Korean defense white paper, published in 2023 using 2022 data, put North Korea's active-duty force at about 1.28 million troops, compared with about 500,000 in the South at the time.
But the Defense Ministry has cautioned that numerical comparisons alone do not capture differences in equipment quality, training, operational concepts and allied capabilities.
South Korea's active-duty force has since fallen to about 450,000 amid demographic decline, while Seoul has sought to compensate through advanced weapons, unmanned systems and its alliance with the United States.
North Korea, meanwhile, retains major asymmetric capabilities, including nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and long-range artillery.
Younger Koreans see greater risk of war
Perceptions of the likelihood of conflict varied sharply by age.
While 39 percent overall said North Korea could actually start a war, the figure rose to 54 percent among those aged 18 to 29 and 53 percent among people in their 30s.
Only 29 percent of respondents in their 40s saw such a possibility, the lowest among all age groups.
The overall result was similar to a Gallup Korea survey conducted after North Korea's sixth nuclear test in 2017, when 37 percent said there was a possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula.
The latest poll was conducted through telephone interviews using randomly selected mobile phone numbers. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, with a contact rate of 44.5 percent and a response rate of 9.5 percent.
AJP Takeaways
· 65% of South Koreans support possessing nuclear weapons.
· 58% oppose merging the Army, Navy and Air Force academies.
· 70% believe South Korea’s military is stronger than North Korea’s.
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