4 in 5 S. Koreans cite China as security threat: poll

SEOUL, April 7 (Yonhap) -- More than four in five South Koreans consider China to be a security threat, a survey showed Wednesday.

According to the poll of 1,000 people conducted in March by Seoul-based Hankook Research for the U.S. think tank Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA), 83 percent cited China as a threat to their security.

In comparison, 12 percent regarded China as a security partner.

Also in the survey, 60 percent said China is more of an economic threat, while 37 percent saw China as more of an economic partner.

On a scale of zero to 10, with 10 being the most favorable, China had a mean score of 3.6, on par with North Korea with 3.5 and Japan with 3.7, while the corresponding figure for the United States stood at 6.4. In the same poll two years ago, China scored 4.8.

Despite these reservations, more South Koreans cited low birthrates in their country (81 percent) and North Korea's nuclear program (62 percent) as "grave threats" than China's military power (53 percent).

The survey has a 95 percent confidence level, with a margin of error of plus and minus 0.1 percent.

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