One in three S. Korean students says Korean Peninsula not peaceful

SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Yonhap) -- About one in three South Korean students sees the Korean Peninsula as not peaceful, a government poll showed Tuesday, apparently reflecting chilled inter-Korean relations and stalemated denuclearization talks.

According to the survey of 66,042 students at 598 elementary, middle and high schools across the country during the October-November period last year, 33.7 percent of respondents said that the peninsula is not peaceful.

The figure represented a sharp rise in the negative views of the security situation, compared with 2018 when only 15.5 percent responded as such thanks to the conciliatory mood sparked by three inter-Korean summits.

The spike appears to reflect the changed atmosphere affected by chilled inter-Korean relations last year amid stalemated nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea.

Nuclear talks have stalled since the no-deal summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in February 2019. Inter-Korean relations have also been in the doldrums as Pyongyang has criticized Seoul for dragging its feet in cross-border projects for fear of violating global sanctions.

In apparent protest of stalled denuclearization talks, the North conducted a total of 12 rounds of missile and new weapons tests last year. In his New Year's message, leader Kim threatened to showcase a new strategic weapon in the near future.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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