[Public Opinion Briefing 9-1] 27 Countries' Assessment of the International Role of Major Countries Including North Korea

[Public Opinion Briefing 9] Global Perception of Major Countries

Topic 1] Assessment of the International Role of Major Countries Including North Korea by 27 Countries

Topic 2] South Koreans' Perception of the Four Major Powers: Negative Perception of All Four Powers

Topic 1. Assessment of the International Role of Major Countries Including North Korea by 27 Countries

- 27 countries are indifferent to North Korea, ranking 4th in negative evaluations among 12 countries assessed

Jeong Han-wool (Deputy Director, Public Opinion Analysis Center) · Lee Sang-hyup (Head of Research and Survey Team)

□ Japan and India are rising, China remains unchanged, the US has worsened.

□ Citizens of 27 countries are indifferent to North Korea, ranking 4th in negative evaluations among 12 countries assessed.

□ Top 4 countries with negative images globally: Israel (56%) > Iran (54%) > US (51%) > North Korea (48%), North Korea's international image is not worse than that of the US.

□ The US and Western European countries are particularly negative; 78% of South Koreans are indifferent to North Korea.

The world's gaze remained cold towards North Korea, which surprised the international community with its nuclear test last year. According to the international opinion poll jointly conducted by BBC World Service, the East Asia Institute (EAI), and Maeil Business Newspaper, negative evaluations of North Korea outweighed positive evaluations in most countries. This result is based on a survey conducted between November and December last year, asking 28,389 people in 27 countries about the international influence of 12 major countries, including North Korea. Among all respondents, 48% evaluated North Korea as "playing a negative international role," while only 19% responded that it "plays a positive role." (The 12 assessed countries are North Korea, Russia, the US, Venezuela, the UK, Iran, Israel, India, Japan, China, and France).

It is characteristic that not only North Korea and Iran, which are causing concern due to their nuclear development, but also their adversaries, the US and Israel, are receiving the worst evaluations from the citizens of 27 countries. This suggests that not only the nuclear issue but also unilateral coercive policies are being criticized. In terms of the percentage of negative evaluations, Israel (56%) and the US (51%) are at a similar level to Iran (54%) and North Korea (48%), which have been labeled as rogue states. Although within the margin of error, the fact that the world is casting a harsher gaze on the US than on North Korea is expected to be a significant burden for the Bush administration in its final term.

Meanwhile, among the 12 surveyed countries, Japan received favorable evaluations from countries other than South Korea and China. With an average approval rating of 54%, it ranked among the countries receiving the most positive evaluations globally, continuing from 2006. While international public opinion has worsened for most countries compared to the 2006 data, India, a pillar of the pro-India bloc, is the only country that has shown a slight increase in positive international evaluations compared to 2006 (35%→37%). Regarding China, 42% of the citizens of 27 countries gave a positive evaluation and 32% gave a negative evaluation, indicating more favorable public opinion. However, this result is a slight decrease compared to 2006 (45%).

Regarding North Korea, citizens of the US and Western European countries were particularly negative. 73% of American citizens gave a negative evaluation of North Korea. In countries with strong ties to the US, such as Australia (86%), the UK (75%), and Canada (74%), indifferent evaluations of North Korea were predominant. Critical perceptions of North Korea were also dominant in Germany (87%) and France (75%), which have been at odds with the US in Europe. It appears that North Korea's nuclear test has further worsened its image in European countries that have shown strong aversion to North Korean human rights issues.

It is noteworthy that Asian and Islamic countries evaluated North Korea relatively favorably. 40% of Indonesian citizens and 34% of Chinese citizens evaluated North Korea positively, significantly exceeding the overall average of 19%. In Islamic countries such as Nigeria (42%), Lebanon (40%), and Turkey (31%), a larger proportion of respondents viewed North Korea positively than the average across the 27 countries. This implies that a considerable number of people in Islamic countries with strong anti-American sentiment sympathize with or support North Korea's defiance against the US through its nuclear tests. Unlike European citizens, who evaluate North Korea's human rights and nuclear issues separately from their opposition to the US, in Islamic countries, anti-American sentiment is leading to favorable perceptions of North Korea.

[Figure 1] Assessment of "International Influence" by Citizens of 27 Countries on 7 Countries (%)

Source: BBC · East Asia Institute · Maeil Business Newspaper (2007)

□ North Korea's Dilemma: Worsening Public Opinion in Neighboring Friendly Countries China and South Korea

Chinese citizens: 34% positive perception of North Korea vs. 39% negative perception.

South Korean citizens: 12% positive perception of North Korea vs. 78% negative perception.


Meanwhile, it is perplexing for North Korea that public opinion in China, Russia, and South Korea, which have maintained a balanced stance, distancing themselves from the US to some extent in the process of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, is deteriorating. In the case of Russia, positive public opinion towards North Korea was 37% and negative opinion was 20%. In a previous opinion poll conducted by the East Asia Institute and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in 2006, prior to the North Korean nuclear test, Chinese citizens ranked North Korea as the most friendly country. While favorable public opinion towards North Korea (34%) in this survey is still higher than the overall average, it is also noteworthy that negative public opinion towards North Korea reached 39%.



Meanwhile, South Korean citizens, who have played a role as a bargaining chip in the Six-Party Talks, are also negative towards North Korea. In the 2006 survey, critical public opinion towards North Korea among South Koreans was 73%, but it rose to 78% in this survey. This is an unfavorable outcome for the South Korean government, which has used aid to North Korea as a means of negotiating nuclear concessions. North Korea succeeded in bringing the US to the negotiating table through extreme hardline tactics such as its nuclear test. However, alienating the citizens of South Korea and China, who have maintained a relatively favorable stance towards it, demonstrates the dilemma faced by North Korean diplomacy.

[Figure 2] Assessment of North Korea's International Role by Major Countries (%)

Source: BBC · East Asia Institute · Maeil Business Newspaper (2007)