[Public Opinion Briefing Vol. 9-2] Koreans' Perceptions of the Four Major Powers: Negative Views on All Four

[Public Opinion Briefing Vol. 9] Global Perceptions of Major Countries

[Topic 1] Evaluation of the international roles of major countries including North Korea by 27 countries

[Topic 2] Koreans' Perceptions of the Four Major Powers: Negative Views on All Four

Topic 2. Koreans' Perceptions of the Four Major Powers: Negative Views on All Four

Jeong Han-wool (Deputy Director, EAI Public Opinion Analysis Center) · Song Moon-hee (Head of EAI Planning and Research Team)

□ Major Powers as Seen by Koreans: Distrust of Both the U.S. and China

Negative public opinion on the four major surrounding powers ranked in the order of Japan (58%) > Russia (56%) > U.S. (54%) > China (48%).

Positive evaluations ranked in the order of U.S. (35%) > China (32%) > Japan (31%) > Russia (20%).

□ South Korean Perceptions of Foreign Countries are Converging Ideologically

Progressives also show worsening perceptions of North Korea and China; perceptions of North Korea and China among those in their 20s are similar to those in their 50s.

81% of those in their 20s and 83% of those aged 50+ are critical of North Korea; 58% of those in their 20s and 49% of those aged 50+ are critical of China.

78% of progressives and 80% of conservatives are critical of North Korea; 54% of progressives and 57% of conservatives are critical of China.



South Korea exhibits a very high level of distrust towards the surrounding major powers. In particular, the deterioration of public opinion towards the U.S., a traditional ally, and China, which once emerged as an alternative to the U.S., is notable. When asked about the international influence of these four countries, a majority expressed a lukewarm response towards all of them.



Japan, which has traditionally faced significant public antipathy, had the highest proportion of critical opinion at 58%, followed by Russia at 56%. Regarding the U.S., 54% expressed distrust, and 48% expressed distrust towards China. Conversely, the proportion of respondents who had a favorable view of the U.S. was only 35%. For China, it was 32%, and for Japan, it was 31%, indicating similarly low positive responses. Positive responses towards Russia were significantly low at 20%.



It is true that anti-U.S. sentiment and pro-China sentiment had been rising, particularly among progressives and young people, in the early part of the Participatory Government. Comparing the survey results from 2005 with the current survey results, we can see a growing antipathy not only towards North Korea but also towards China. In 2005, 49% had a positive perception of China, but this figure significantly decreased to 32% in 2007. The Northeast Asian Project issue appears to have had a decisive impact, and this can be seen as a result of intensified diplomatic friction between South Korea and China and heightened competition between the two countries in foreign trade.

[Figure 3] Evaluation of the International Roles of the Four Major Surrounding Powers by Koreans (%)

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

A significant characteristic of this survey is the ideological and generational convergence towards conservative perceptions of North Korea and China. The changes in perception among those in their 20s and among ideological progressives are particularly striking. While 81% of those in their 20s responded that North Korea has a negative international impact, the response rate among those aged 50 and above was nearly the same at 83%. Regarding China, those in their 20s were actually more critical. Only 49% of those in the 50s and above were critical of China, whereas a substantial 58% of those in their 20s harbored distrust towards China. Ideologically, it is difficult to discern differences in stance regarding perceptions of North Korea and China. 78% of progressives and 80% of conservatives responded critically towards North Korea, indicating no difference in perception. Regarding China as well, negative responses from progressives and conservatives were 54% and 57%, respectively, with no significant difference found.



Instead of debates on pro-North Korea/anti-North Korea or pro-China/pro-U.S. sentiments, distrust towards the surrounding major powers is widespread. It is not desirable to assess security issues based on ideological criteria. Furthermore, for South Korea, which seeks national survival amidst the surrounding major powers, there is no reason to oppose the easing of ideological conflict. However, if the critical perception of surrounding countries leads to an avoidance of cooperation with them, the situation changes. This is because in the era of globalization, isolation should be avoided at all costs.

[Figure 4] Negative Perceptions of North Korea and China by Ideology (%)

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

[Figure 5] Negative Perceptions of North Korea and China by Generation (%)

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