U.S. Forces Korea personnel move military vehicles at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 17, the first day of the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States.YONHAP
Nearly two-thirds of South Koreans support nuclear armament, a new poll showed Friday. The survey also found that more than half of respondents in their 20s and 30s believe North Korea could actually start a war.
Sixty-five percent of respondents supported calls for South Korea to possess nuclear weapons, while 30 percent opposed the idea, according to a Gallup Korea survey of 1,001 adults conducted from Tuesday through Thursday.
Support stood at 78 percent among the conservative People Power Party supporters and 60 percent among the ruling Democratic Party supporters. Among those who identified with no political bias, 64 percent supported nuclear armament and 28 percent opposed it.
On the Defense Ministry’s plan to merge the Army, Navy and Air Force academies, 58 percent said the schools should remain separate. Thirty percent supported the merger, while 11 percent said they did not know or declined to answer.
Among DP supporters, 54 percent backed the merger. By contrast, 85 percent of PPP supporters and 70 percent of those with no party affiliation opposed it.
Asked whether South Korea should regain wartime operational control of its forces from the United States during President Lee Jae Myung’s term, 46 percent said it should, while 41 percent said the transfer should be postponed.
The issue showed a sharp ideological divide. Seventy-four percent of self-identified progressives supported regaining wartime operational control during Lee’s term, compared to 27 percent of conservatives. Among moderates, 48 percent backed the move.
A Black Hawk helicopter flies over Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 17.KIM JONG-HO
Asked to compare the military strength of the two Koreas, 70 percent said South Korea’s military is stronger. Twenty-one percent said North Korea’s military is stronger, 3 percent said the two are about equal, and 6 percent withheld an opinion.
On the possibility that North Korea might actually start a war, 17 percent said the risk was “very high,” and 22 percent said there was “some” risk, for a combined 39 percent who saw a possibility of war. Another 35 percent said there was “little” possibility and 20 percent said there was “none at all,” while 6 percent withheld an opinion.
Younger respondents were more likely to see a risk of war. Fifty-four percent of those aged 18 to 29 and 53 percent of those in their 30s said North Korea could actually start a war. The figure was lowest among people in their 40s at 29 percent. Other age groups recorded rates in the 30-percent range.
The poll was conducted via telephone interviews using randomly selected virtual mobile phone numbers. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, a contact rate of 44.5 percent and a response rate of 9.5 percent.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
