Older adults more in favour of intra-Korean projects compared to more indifferent young people
About 62.4 per cent of South Koreans support restarting the Kaesong industrial park and Mount Kumgang resort. But about 45% of 20-year-olds say the reunification process is not necessary. To overcome the deadlock between Washington and Pyongyang, 63.9 per cent of South Koreans approve of President Moon Jae-in’s mediation.
Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Among South Koreans, support for Korean reunification is increasingly varying according to sex and age.
Young people and women are more likely to have a negative perception of intra-Korean talks, this according to two separate studies, carried out by different government agencies, the National Unification Advisory Council and the Korean Institute for National Unification.
One survey found that 62.4 per cent of South Koreans are in favour of restarting two joint projects in North Korea near the intra-Korean border, namely the Kaesong industrial park and the Mount Kumgang resort on (near North Korea’s east coast).
According to participants, the two initiatives can contribute to both denuclearisation and the local economy.
Seoul closed Kaesong Park in 2016 as a result of Pyongyang’s the nuclear and missile provocations. The Kumgang resort was shut down in 2008 when a North Korean soldier killed a South Korean tourist.
The South Korean government is trying to restart both projects, believing that more cross-border exchanges can create a climate of peace and encourage talks on denuclearisation.
At present, the latter stalled after the second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US president Donald J. Trump ended in a deadlock.
However, intra-Korean talks require the lifting of US sanctions on North Korea, something Washington opposes.
The survey found that 54 per cent of respondent supported easing sanctions in association with progress in nuclear talks, with 41.6 percent saying that sanctions should remain in place until complete denuclearisation.
With regard to Seoul's push to play a mediating role between Washington and Pyongyang by holding intra-Korean talks, 63.9 per cent cited a summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim as the best option.
On the outlook of future nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, 58.1 per cent expressed optimism despite the current stalemate, whilst 37.6 per cent said the opposite.
Unlike older adults, young South Koreans appear less interested in peace talks, which raises questions about their apparent apathy towards reunification with the North.
According to the survey conducted by the state-run Korean Institute for National Unification, 45 per cent and 40 per cent of people in their 20s and 30s, respectively, think that unification is not necessary.
The figures are higher than the comparable numbers for those aged 60 or older and those in their 50s which stand at 19 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively.
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12/02/2016 15:14
14/01/2020 09:23
