Over 70 pct of S. Koreans support Seoul's role as 'facilitator' in nuclear talks in Biden administration

SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- A majority of South Koreans agree that Seoul should play the role of a "facilitator" to push the stalled nuclear negotiations forward between the United States and North Korea, a survey showed Friday.

According to the Nov. 20-21 survey of 1,000 adults by the National Unification Advisory Council, 73.9 percent said South Korea should serve as a "facilitator" in nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang after U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

Among them, 35.3 percent said they "very much" support Seoul's role as a facilitator, while 38.6 percent replied they "mostly" support such a move, the survey showed.

The poll had a margin of error of 3.1 points and a 95 percent confidence level.

In the same survey, 73.9 percent said the Biden administration should maintain efforts to improve ties with the North as agreed by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and keep their policy toward denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Trump and Kim issued a joint statement after their historic 2018 summit in Singapore, under which the North committed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Since their historic first-ever summit, Trump and Kim met two more times, but denuclearization negotiations have stalled since their second summit in Hanoi last year ended without an agreement.

On whether South Korea should hold its joint military exercises with the U.S. next year, 66.5 percent said they should be held as planned, while 17.9 percent said the drills should be scaled down and 10.8 percent replied that they should be postponed.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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