More than half of Koreans say Korea-Japan ties are good for first time: survey
Travelers wait to check in for flights to Japan at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, June 9. Newsis.
For the first time since 1995, over half of Koreans believe relations between Korea and Japan are in good shape, signaling a dramatic shift in public sentiment.
According to the latest Korea-Japan joint survey conducted by the Hankook Ilbo and Yomiuri Shimbun, 55.2 percent of Korean respondents said current bilateral ties are positive, the highest figure recorded since the survey began three decades ago.
The poll, carried out from June 13 to 15 with 1,000 Korean and 1,014 Japanese respondents, was released to mark the Hankook Ilbo’s 71st anniversary and the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The percentage of Koreans expressing a positive view of Korea-Japan ties rose by 12.7 percent from last year’s 42.5 percent.
Meanwhile, 52 percent of Japanese respondents also said relations are good, up slightly from 50 percent last year. It is the first time in six years that Koreans have rated the bilateral relationship more positively than Japanese respondents.
The surge in optimism is largely driven by younger generations. Among Koreans aged 18 to 29, 72.2 percent said relations are good, far exceeding the 60.1 percent of respondents in their 30s.
In Japan, those aged 18 to 29 also recorded a relatively high rate of positivity at 58 percent, just behind those in their 40s at 64 percent.
K-pop girl group NewJeans performs at Tokyo Dome in Japan, in June 2024. The active cultural exchange between Korea and Japan has contributed to improving mutual perceptions. Courtesy of Ador
Culture exchange and tourism
Observers attribute the improvement in sentiment to increased cultural exchange following the resumption of more active diplomacy between the two countries’ leaders in 2023.
Since then, K-pop groups have appeared on major Japanese year-end broadcasts and top Japanese artists have been featured on Korean cable programs and sold out concerts in Korea.
The revival of tourism between the two nations also played a role, with approximately 12 million people traveling between the two countries last year.
Trust and affinity between the two peoples have also risen. Among Korean respondents, 41.2 percent said they trust Japan and 41.3 percent expressed a sense of familiarity, both surpassing the 40 percent mark for the first time since the survey began.
The figures represent significant increases from last year’s 28.7 percent who said they trust Japan and 32.7 percent who expressed a sense of familiarity. In Japan, trust and affinity levels remained steady at 43 percent and 47 percent, respectively.
However, views on the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic ties were more mixed. While 40.7 percent of Koreans said the two countries have built friendly relations over the past six decades, a greater portion — 52.1 percent — said they have not.
Analysts say this reflects persistent tensions over unresolved historical and territorial issues, despite stronger cultural and economic exchanges.
When broken down by sector, 55.8 percent of Korean respondents said bilateral ties have strengthened in culture and sports over the past 60 years, but only 35.2 percent saw improvements in diplomacy and security.
Among Japanese respondents, 47 percent said the two countries have built friendly relations, while 45 percent said they have not.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.