Public Opinion Briefing Vol. 25-1: Koreans' Perceptions of the Four Surrounding Powers

Public Opinion Briefing Vol. 25: Globalization and Economic Perceptions of People Worldwide

[1] Koreans' Perceptions of Surrounding Major Powers - Seo Sang-min

[2] A Cold World, A Lonely America: Global Perceptions of U.S. Influence

[3] International Perceptions of China in 2008 - Kwak So-hee

Koreans' Perceptions of the Four Surrounding Powers Divided; Strong Distrust Towards Conflict-Inciting Nations Such as North Korea

Seo Sang-min (Director of Research Planning, EAI)

□ Perceptions of the Four Powers Surrounding the Korean Peninsula: Polarization Between Positive and Negative Perceptions

Koreans' perceptions of the four major powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula are polarized between positive and negative perceptions, compared to other surveyed countries.

According to the results of a survey commissioned by BBC and EAI to Korea Research, asking "Is the global influence of each country positive or negative?", Koreans' perceptions of the 14 surveyed countries can be broadly divided into three types. First, for the four major surrounding powers such as China, the U.S., Japan, and Russia, the gap between positive and negative perceptions is not large, averaging 8.5%, indicating a division. In contrast, for countries like the EU, France, Germany, the UK, India, and Brazil, the gap between positive and negative perceptions is high, averaging 42.5%. Furthermore, for conflict-ridden nations, though smaller, such as Israel, Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea, negative perceptions are high, averaging approximately 50.2%, indicating a large gap.

The reason for this relatively small gap between positive and negative perceptions of the four powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula among Koreans, compared to other countries, can be interpreted as a result of long-term, close interrelationships in various domains including diplomacy, security, economy, and culture, leading to a simultaneous recognition of both positive and negative impacts these countries have had on Korea. This gap remains nearly the same when compared to the 2005 survey results. In the 2005 survey, the gap for China was 1.9%, for the U.S. 6.8%, for Japan 19.1%, and for Russia 5.1%, showing an average gap of 8.2%, which is similar to the 8.5% gap in the current survey results. This suggests that while perceptions of surrounding major powers may shift between positive and negative depending on the time or situation, the polarized structure of perception is unlikely to change significantly.

□ Generational Gaps in Koreans' Perceptions of the Four Surrounding Powers Exceed Ideological Gaps

Meanwhile, the survey results indicate that generational gaps in perceptions of the four surrounding powers significantly exceed ideological gaps. Regarding negative perceptions of China and the U.S., the generational gap for China reached a maximum of 17.3% (20s: 52.9%, 30s: 55.2%, 40s: 41.9%, 50s and above: 37.9%). For the U.S., the gap is even more pronounced than for China, reaching 42.1% (20s: 52.2%, 30s: 56.0%, 40s: 50.5%, 50s and above: 13.9%). This is a substantial difference compared to the ideological gaps of 8.1% (China) and 16.1% (U.S.). Comparing these figures to the 2005 survey results reveals that generational perception gaps are widening. In the 2005 survey, the maximum generational gap in negative perceptions of China was 9.5%, and the ideological gap was only 3.4%. For the U.S., these figures were 19.7% and 13.1%, respectively. These results suggest that factors other than ideological orientation are significantly influencing Koreans' perceptions of surrounding major powers, such as whether they are perceived as "pro-China or anti-U.S., or anti-China or pro-U.S."