60% of people support South Korea's nuclear armament: poll

Activists in army uniform slash the picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a rally condemning Pyongyang’s continued provocations in downtown Seoul, Friday. They called on the United States to beef up military support to counter Pyongyang’s threats / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Park Si-soo

Nearly 60 percent of people here want South Korea to be armed with nuclear weapons, a poll showed, reflecting heightened public anxiety following North Korea’s continued nuclear and missile provocations.

While 65 percent want Seoul to halt all help to the North in retaliation for the latest nuclear test, 60 percent opposed the idea of the United States making a preemptive strike on Pyongyang, according to the Gallup Korea poll.

It surveyed 1,004 South Korean adults nationwide on Sept. 5-7, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

Regarding the chance of war on the Korean Peninsula, 58 percent said “no” and 37 percent “yes.”

Seventy-six percent said the North’s sixth nuclear test has jeopardized peace on the peninsula, while 20 percent said it has not.