Half of S. Korea's young adults view N. Korea with hostility: poll

Nearly half of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s view North Korea as a hostile state, more than double the share of those who see it as a partner for cooperation, a survey showed Friday. The poll, commissioned by the National Unification Advisory Council (NUAC) and conducted by Korea Research from May 27 to June 1, surveyed 1,200 respondents aged 19-39. It showed 49.8 percent of respondents considered North Korea as hostile, while 32.4 percent took a neutral position and 17.8 percent disagreed. On cooperation, only 27.3 percent viewed the North as a potential partner, against 42.7 percent who did not. A separate survey of all age groups conducted in the first quarter found 41.9 percent viewed North Korea as a subject of cooperation or support, suggesting younger Koreans hold a markedly harder line against North Korea. On the question of where inter-Korean relations should head, 36.8 percent favored peaceful coexistence for now, while keeping unification as a longer-term goal. Another 20.3 percent supported maintaining two separate states before eventually pursuing unification, while 19.4Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times