Nearly nine out of every 10 S. Koreans hold 'favorable view' toward U.S.: poll

Diplomacy 01:57 August 16, 2022

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- Nearly nine out of every 10 South Koreans hold a favorable view of the United States, the second highest rating among 17 countries surveyed, a poll showed Monday.

It also showed more than 80 percent of South Koreans think the U.S. is a reliable partner.

In the poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based nonprofit think tank, 89 percent of South Koreans surveyed said they hold a favorable view toward the U.S., the second highest rating after Poland with 91 percent.

The reading for South Korea also marks a 12 percentage point increase from a year before, "the largest uptick in positive ratings" among the 17 countries surveyed, the research center said, adding positive opinion has increased in only two other countries -- Sweden and Australia -- since 2021.

The research center said the polling was conducted in the 17 countries "where phone or online polling" was available.

They include Canada, Britain, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Israel, Australia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

The survey in South Korea was conducted from March 14 and May 2, involving 1,008 South Koreans aged 18 years or older.

The poll also showed 83 percent of South Koreans surveyed see the U.S. as a "reliable partner," up 25 percentage points from 2021.

South Koreans also showed a high level of confidence in U.S. President Joe Biden, according to the survey.

Seventy percent of South Koreans surveyed said they trust the U.S. leader do the right thing on the international stage, which marks a 3 percentage point increase from a year earlier and also the only on-year gain among the 17 countries surveyed.