Public perception of inter-Korean relations is shifting significantly. A growing number of South Koreans recognize North Korea as a separate nation and accept the current division as a reality, while support for the necessity of unification has notably declined. However, distrust towards the North Korean regime and its nuclear threats has reached unprecedented levels, reflecting a complex view of recognizing North Korea as a state but not trusting it.
According to the '2026 Unification Awareness Survey' released by the Institute for Unification and Peace at Seoul National University on September 29, 81.8% of respondents view North and South Korea as realistically independent states. Additionally, 53.5% acknowledged North Korea as a country, surpassing half of those surveyed.
Perceptions regarding the territory of South Korea have also changed. The belief that only the areas under effective governance in South Korea constitute its territory reached 60.8%, the highest in the past 20 years. In contrast, only 28.3% of respondents viewed the entire Korean Peninsula as South Korean territory according to the constitution.
Expectations for unification have diminished. Only 39.0% of respondents believe unification is necessary, a significant drop from 63.8% in 2007. Meanwhile, 31.5% expressed satisfaction with the current situation, the highest since the survey began. Notably, among those in their 20s and 30s, support for unification was only 25.2% and 27.0%, respectively.
Professor Hwang Ji-hwan of the University of Seoul noted that these changes are not solely a reaction to North Korea's recent declaration of being a 'hostile state.' He explained that the recognition of North Korea's statehood has remained around 50% for the past 20 years, suggesting that long-term experiences in inter-Korean relations have had a more significant impact than short-term events.
However, accepting North Korea as a separate state differs from recognizing its regime as a legitimate government. The belief that the South Korean government is the only legitimate government on the Korean Peninsula reached 83.6%, the highest since the survey began. Additionally, 78.3% of respondents felt that dialogue and compromise with the North Korean regime are impossible, and 90.4% believe North Korea will not abandon its nuclear weapons.
In terms of North Korea policy, there is a shift towards prioritizing coexistence over unification. A total of 61.6% of respondents identified 'peaceful coexistence and peace establishment' as the most important goals for the government, while only 15.3% chose 'unification.' This preference for peaceful coexistence was evident across all age groups and political orientations, with more than half selecting this option.
Interestingly, the survey revealed an unusual result regarding security perceptions based on political orientation. Among progressive respondents, 62.4% viewed the likelihood of North Korea's military provocations as high, surpassing the 54.2% of conservative respondents. Kim Byeong-ro, a visiting researcher, described this as a notably unique phenomenon compared to previous trends.
This survey was conducted by Gallup Korea in July, involving face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults aged 19 to 74 nationwide. The margin of error is ±2.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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