SEOUL – A recent survey reveals that over 60% of South Korean university students believe resolving the North Korean nuclear issue is essential for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. The poll, conducted jointly by Seoul’s foreign ministry, Chung-Ang University, and the Hyundai Research Institute, surveyed 500 undergraduate and graduate students between October 8 and 21.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the survey results, 63.2 percent of the participants see the resolution of North Korea’s nuclear problem as a necessary step towards reunification. In contrast, only 18.6 percent view the unification of the Koreas as a precondition for addressing Pyongyang’s nuclear issue.
Additionally, the survey found that 28.2 percent of respondents identified the “complete denuclearization of North Korea” as the most crucial condition for a reunified Korean Peninsula. Another 9.4 percent prioritized the “improvement in North Korea’s human rights.”
The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percentage points and a 95 percent confidence level, underscores the perspectives of young South Koreans on the complex geopolitical issue.
In response to the findings, the foreign ministry stated its intention to expand unification-related activities and continue engaging the youth in these dialogues.
The relevance of this survey is underscored by the ongoing technical state of war between the two Koreas, as the 1950-53 Korean War concluded with a truce, not a peace treaty.