8 of 10 S. Koreans view two Koreas as separate states: poll

An overwhelming majority of South Koreans, 81.8 percent according to a Gallup Korea poll commissioned by Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, view the North and South as separate sovereign states. The survey reveals that 53.5 percent of respondents recognize North Korea as an independent state, while 38.7 percent perceive it as a potential partner for cooperation, an increase of 4.7 percentage points from the previous year.

Notably, political leanings show a stark contrast in attitudes towards North Korea's potential military actions. While 62.4 percent of liberal respondents believe North Korea is likely to engage in a military provocation, only 54.2 percent of conservative respondents hold this view. This contrasts with the trend in security concerns, which generally tend to decline among liberal supporters and rise among conservative ones under liberal administrations, according to Kim Byung-ro, a researcher at IPUS.

When it comes to South Korea's territorial boundaries, 60.8 percent of respondents believe the country's territory is confined to the areas under its effective control in the South, while 28.3 percent contend that it extends beyond these areas.