SPOTLIGHT 25/10/20 Most South Koreans now oppose unification: survey

[성기화 요셉]

Results mark the first time backing for a united peninsula in the annual survey has dropped below a majority

Visitors use binoculars to look at the North Korean side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, from South Korea's Odusan Unification Observatory in Paju on Oct. 15, 2024. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: October 21, 2025 07:55 AM GMT

Updated: October 21, 2025 07:57 AM GMT

Fewer than half of South Koreans now support unification with the North, according to a recent survey, marking the first time backing for a united peninsula has dropped below a majority and underscoring growing indifference toward reconciliation.

Among 1,000 adults surveyed by the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), only 49 percent said they felt unification was “necessary,” The Korea Herald reported on Oct. 20.

This is the lowest level since the survey began in 2014, with a 3.8 percent drop on last year’s 52.8 percent, the KINU said in its annual survey report.

The decline in interest toward unification was due to an “interplay of various factors.”

The “influence of North Korea’s narratives on two hostile states, the prolonged severance of inter-Korean relations and domestic political dynamics," were factors, the institute said.

"These results suggest that perceptions of unification have entered a structural phase of change, moving beyond short-term fluctuations," it added.

The survey was conducted between July 10 and Aug. 13 this year and consisted of questions related to various key aspects of inter-Korean relations.

Among the respondents, 63.2 percent said they agreed with a statement that said: "Unification is unnecessary as long as the two Koreas can peacefully coexist.”

This was the highest level since KINU first introduced the question in its 2016 survey.

Another 19.6 percent gave a neutral response, while 17.2 percent disagreed with the statement.

The survey also revealed that there was an increase in public indifference toward North Korea, along with a decreasing interest in unification.

"The results show that public indifference toward North Korea has continued to grow largely regardless of whether inter-Korean relations are good or bad," KINU said.

When asked, "How interested are you in North Korea?" 68.1 percent of respondents said they were "not interested," which is the highest level since 2015.

The institute added that there has been a steady increase in public apathy over the past decade, rising from 50.8 percent in 2015 to the current level.

"This trend can be viewed as part of the same context in which public opinion on the necessity of unification continues to fall," the KINU said.

Opposition against aid to the North

The latest poll also revealed a sharp rise in opposition towards providing humanitarian aid to North Korea when compared to recent years.

"News about North Korea’s food shortages and other related issues has become less frequent, as China and Russia have effectively withdrawn from economic sanctions against North Korea and its economic situation has improved," the KINU said.

“Consequently, the perception that North Korea lacking food and medicine appears to have diminished,” it added.

Among the respondents, 39.5 percent said they disagreed with the continuation of humanitarian assistance to North Korea. In 2021, only 27.3 percent South Koreans expressed disagreement.

The institute said negative views now outnumber positive ones, with support for humanitarian aid standing at 36.8 percent this year.

It is the first time that opposition has exceeded support since 2017, when inter-Korean tensions reached their peak in the aftermath of North Korea’s two nuclear tests in 2016, the institute said.

The reopening of the now-shuttered inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), a flagship economic cooperation project between the two Koreas, has also reached higher opposition levels.

The KIC is located inside North Korea, just across the demilitarized zone from South Korea.

Among the respondents, 44.6 percent said they opposed the idea of reopening the complex, while only 36.2 percent expressed support.