By Han Sang-hee
In an imaginary sports game Koreans would choose to cheer for North Korea over the United States, according to a research by Seoul National University (SNU) Tuesday.
The percentage of Koreans who would opt for North Korea beating the U.S. in a football match reached 70 percent last year, up from 21 percent in the mid-1980s. The percentage was 76.1 percent in 2008 and 68 percent in 2009.
The research was led by Professor Eun Ki-soo from the graduate school of international studies and supported by the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at the university to analyze the changes in perception regarding unification and North Korea during the past 25 years.
“The perception of North Korea has shown a drastic shift from the 1980s, as we can easily see from the football match question. The results show that Koreans have rediscovered North Korea after experiencing the Cold War,” professor Eun wrote in the research.
The research also provided a peek into the opinions South Koreans have toward North Korea. In 1993, 51 percent of South Koreans considered the North as a country that needed aid, but in 2009, only 14.3 percent answered that the South needed to help the reclusive nation.
On the necessity of the unification, only 12.3 percent answered yes in 2008, a drastic fall from 58 percent in 1995.
Also in 2008, 45.3 percent of the respondents were either negative about unification or preferred maintaining the status quo, a steep rise from 17.5 percent in 1987. It indicated that South Koreans have become more reluctant about reunification compared to in the past.
The possible reasons for unification varied. About 43 percent said it was necessary because the two countries are of one ethnic race, while others chose more practical reasons, such as preventing war (24.1 percent) and becoming an advanced country (20.7 percent).
“Individual interest in unification can diminish for various reasons, including the long period of the divided state and the high cost of unification. Nevertheless, unification is still considered as an important issue in Korean society,” Professor Eun said.
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