{
  "id": 10403832,
  "title": "Less than 40 % of S. Koreans say unification with N. Korea necessary: poll",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/less-than-40-of-s-koreans-say-unification-with-n-korea-necessary-poll-10403832",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T08:52:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260928/less-than-40-of-s-koreans-say-unification-with-n-korea-necessary-poll"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent poll conducted by Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies reveals that fewer than 40% of South Korean citizens believe unification with North Korea is necessary. The most recent findings indicate that 39% of respondents held this view, a decline from 41.1% last year. The poll also discovered that 32.2% of respondents saw unification as unnecessary, up from 30.4% the previous year, marking more than double the percentage from 2007 when the survey was first conducted.\n\nThe age of respondents plays a significant role in their opinions on unification. Among those in their 20s and 30s, 25.2% and 27% respectively, believe unification is necessary, while 44.8% and 47% in the same age groups, respectively, believe it is not. Additionally, 39.1% of respondents think unification is impossible, the highest figure since 2007. The poll also found a record 31.5% of respondents preferring the current status quo of the two Koreas being divided.\n\nThe poll also shows an increase in distrust toward North Korea as 78.3% of respondents believe dialogue and compromise with the North Korean regime is impossible.",
  "summary": "Less than 40 percent of South Koreans view unification with North Korea as necessary, a poll showed Monday, with younger people far less supportive. According to the poll commissioned by Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, 39 percent of respondents said unification is necessary, down from 41.1 percent last year. The poll showed that 32.2 percent of respondents…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Less than 40 pct of S. Koreans say unification with N. Korea necessary: poll",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/less-than-40-pct-of-s-koreans-say-unification-with-n-korea-necessary",
        "published": "2026-09-28T07:55:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Less than 40 % of S. Koreans say unification with N. Korea necessary: poll",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/less-than-40-of-s-koreans-say-unification-with-n-korea-necessary-poll",
        "published": "2026-09-28T08:27:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}