By Lee Min-hyung
Half of South Koreans are against South and North Korean athletes using a "unification flag" at the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a survey showed Thursday.
According to a poll by RealMeter, 49.4 percent of 500 people aged over 19 voted against athletes from the two Koreas marching under the flag symbolizing a unified Korea for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics set to begin next month. They said South Korean athletes should hold the South Korean national flag, the Taegeukgi, and North Koreans should hold their country's flag.
Forty percent of the respondents agreed on the use of the unification flag.
The poll was conducted on Wednesday when ministerial-level officials from both Koreas were holding talks about details of North Korea's participation in the Games, including the use of the unification flag. They announced later in the day that they agreed to hold the flag.
By age groups, those in their 40s were the only group where supporters of the flag outnumbered the opponents. Those in their 60s and over opposed the idea the most, with 62.2 percent of them voting against it.
This will not be the first time for both sides to march under the unification flag during a sporting event. The 2000 Sydney Olympics marked the first time for the two Koreas to use the flag, and they did so at the Olympics in Athens, Greece, and Turin, Italy.
Those opposing the idea of the unification flag say it is not right for the host country of the Games to not be able to use its flag.
"The government is aware that the public has interest and concern about the issue, but we believe using the unification flag can promote a positive impact on improving inter-Korean relationships," Unification Vice Minister Chun Hae-sung said after the high-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjeom, Wednesday.
Aside from the unified flag, both Koreas also agreed to engage more in a series of reconciliatory sporting activities at the upcoming Olympics. They include a joint women's ice hockey team and joint ski training. Pyongyang also said it would send a delegation to the Paralympics in March.
Half of South Koreans are against South and North Korean athletes using a "unification flag" at the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a survey showed Thursday.
According to a poll by RealMeter, 49.4 percent of 500 people aged over 19 voted against athletes from the two Koreas marching under the flag symbolizing a unified Korea for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics set to begin next month. They said South Korean athletes should hold the South Korean national flag, the Taegeukgi, and North Koreans should hold their country's flag.
Forty percent of the respondents agreed on the use of the unification flag.
The poll was conducted on Wednesday when ministerial-level officials from both Koreas were holding talks about details of North Korea's participation in the Games, including the use of the unification flag. They announced later in the day that they agreed to hold the flag.
By age groups, those in their 40s were the only group where supporters of the flag outnumbered the opponents. Those in their 60s and over opposed the idea the most, with 62.2 percent of them voting against it.
This will not be the first time for both sides to march under the unification flag during a sporting event. The 2000 Sydney Olympics marked the first time for the two Koreas to use the flag, and they did so at the Olympics in Athens, Greece, and Turin, Italy.
Those opposing the idea of the unification flag say it is not right for the host country of the Games to not be able to use its flag.
"The government is aware that the public has interest and concern about the issue, but we believe using the unification flag can promote a positive impact on improving inter-Korean relationships," Unification Vice Minister Chun Hae-sung said after the high-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjeom, Wednesday.
Aside from the unified flag, both Koreas also agreed to engage more in a series of reconciliatory sporting activities at the upcoming Olympics. They include a joint women's ice hockey team and joint ski training. Pyongyang also said it would send a delegation to the Paralympics in March.
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