According to the results of the “Unification Education Survey” announced by the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Education, more than 40% of domestic elementary, middle, and high school students believe that unification with North Korea is unnecessary. The proportion of students who think unification is necessary has hit an all-time low.
The survey was conducted from October 21 to November 15 of the previous year and involved 79,706 participants from 775 schools, including 74,288 students, 4,427 teachers, and 991 administrators.
42.3% of respondents stated that “unification is unnecessary,” the highest figure since the survey began. This percentage has steadily increased from 25.0% in 2021 to 31.7% in 2022 and 38.9% in 2023.
Conversely, the percentage of respondents who believe “unification is necessary” has declined, dropping from 61.2% in 2021 to 57.6% in 2022, 49.8% in 2023, and 47.6% in 2024.
Interest in unification has also decreased. The percentage of students who expressed interest dropped from 43.7% to 39.5%, while those who expressed no interest increased from 28.3% to 30.3%.
Additionally, negative perceptions of North Korea have grown. 63.2% of students viewed North Korea as a “threat or adversary,” whereas only 34.3% saw it as a “partner or aid recipient.”
Students cited “eliminating the threat of war” (38.4%) as a reason for the need for unification, while concerns about unification included “social problems” (29.4%) and “economic burden” (22.2%).
The Ministry of Unification stated, “The ongoing provocations by North Korea and the severed inter-Korean relations are weakening students’ positive perceptions of unification and North Korea. We will expand support for schools to help future generations establish a desirable perspective on unification and foster interest and enthusiasm for it.”