A Korean poll shows that the current favorability of the Korean people towards China has dropped by nearly half compared to 10 years ago.
The Chosun Ilbo, citing a national awareness survey conducted jointly with Seoul National University on Friday (January 2), reported that the poll results show that only 12.9% of Koreans surveyed said they were 'friendly towards China.' Compared to the 23.1% favorability in the 2015 National Awareness Survey for the 70th Anniversary of Liberation, the decline is nearly half. When compared to the 39.3% favorability in the 2005 survey for the 60th Anniversary of Liberation, the drop over 20 years exceeds two-thirds.
Analysis indicates that after the deployment of the THAAD system by US forces in Korea in 2016, China's retaliatory measures, such as the "Korean Wave" ban, all contributed to the decline in Koreans' favorability towards China.
The poll results also show that 56.8% of respondents said they were 'unfriendly towards China,' exceeding half the respondents. The percentage of 'extremely unfriendly' is 29.5%.
By age group, Korean respondents aged 18 to 29 have the lowest favorability toward China, only 9%. In other words, more than nine out of ten have a perception of China that is 'below average.' The favorability among those aged 30 to 39 is only 9.4%. Koreans aged over 70 have the highest favorability towards China, at 16.5%. For those aged 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69, the favorability rates towards China are 13.2%, 14.9%, and 13.5% respectively.
According to ideological inclination, 18.4% of respondents with a 'progressive' tendency have a favorable view of China, while only 10.2% of those with a 'conservative' inclination give China a positive rating.
Korean President Lee Jae-myung will visit China today (January 4) and is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday (the 5th). In an exclusive interview with China Central Television prior to his meeting with Xi, Lee Jae-myung stated that the relationship between South Korea and China is extremely important and reiterated respect for the 'One China' policy regarding the Taiwan issue.