Overall support for reunification stands at 48%

70.3% say they have no interest in North Korea

[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

Support for Korean reunification exceeds 60 percent among the war generation and the industrialization generation, but falls to the 30 percent range among millennials and Generation Z, a new survey shows.

According to the "KINU Unification Perception Survey 2026" released Wednesday by the Korea Institute for National Unification, 48.2 percent of respondents said reunification is necessary. The survey interviewed 1,003 adults aged 18 and older nationwide from April 2 to April 24.

Among those born before 1950 — the war generation — 61.6 percent said reunification is necessary, as did 61.3 percent of the industrialization generation, born between 1951 and 1960. By contrast, only 33.4 percent of millennials, born between 1991 and 2000, and 36.3 percent of Generation Z, born after 2001, shared that view. The institute noted that support for reunification has been weakening over the long term even among middle-aged respondents.

In addition, 66.9 percent of respondents agreed that "reunification is unnecessary if the two Koreas can coexist peacefully without war" — up from 63.2 percent last year. The preference for peaceful coexistence over reunification was particularly pronounced among younger generations.

"The perception that reunification is less necessary has hardened, and it does not appear that a change of government alone immediately shifts public attitudes on the issue," the institute said. "The trend toward preferring peaceful coexistence has been rising over the long term, regardless of changes in inter-Korean relations or the political administration."

The share of respondents who said they have no interest in North Korea rose to 70.3 percent from 68.1 percent last year, reaching the highest level since the survey began.

When asked how they view North Korea, respondents rated it 6.3 points as an "alert target" and 5.74 points as a "hostile target" — both figures falling for the third consecutive year. Conversely, ratings for North Korea as a "partner for cooperation" and a "target for support" edged up from the previous year, to 5.33 points and 4.8 points, respectively.

Some 71.6 percent of respondents agreed that "North Korea is also a state in its own right."

"While social interest in North Korea and emotional reactions to it are weakening, a pragmatic attitude is taking shape — one that realistically acknowledges North Korea as a state while at the same time favoring strong deterrence measures, such as independent nuclear armament, alongside conditional dialogue," the institute said.

The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.


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