{
  "id": 10700383,
  "title": "8 in 10 S. Koreans view 2 Koreas as separate states: poll",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/8-in-10-s-koreans-view-2-koreas-as-separate-states-poll",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T13:52:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260929/8-in-10-s-koreans-view-2-koreas-as-separate-states-poll"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An overwhelming majority of South Koreans, 81.8 percent, perceive North and South Korea as distinct nations, according to a Gallup Korea survey commissioned by Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies. This figure marks an increase of 4.7 percentage points from the previous year. Only 53.5 percent of the respondents identified North Korea as a sovereign state, while 38.7 percent viewed it as a potential partner for cooperation.\n\nThe survey revealed a stark contrast in perceptions between liberals and conservatives. While 62.4 percent of liberals believed North Korea might engage in a military provocation, the percentage among conservatives stood at 54.2 percent. Kim Byung-ro, a researcher at the IPUS, noted this divergence as an unusual occurrence, typically seeing security concerns among liberal supporters decrease during liberal administrations, while rising among conservatives.\n\nWhen questioned about South Korea's territorial limits, 60.8 percent of respondents held the view that the country's territory is confined to the area under its effective control in the South, while 28.3 percent claimed it extends beyond these boundaries.",
  "summary": "More than 80 percent of South Koreans viewed South and North Korea as separate states, a survey showed Tuesday. According to the poll conducted by Gallup Korea and commissioned by Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies (IPUS), 81.8 percent said they viewed South and North Korea as two separate states. The poll showed that 53.5 percent of the respondents recognized…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "8 of 10 S. Koreans view two Koreas as separate states: poll",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/8-of-10-s-koreans-view-two-koreas-as-separate-states-poll-10692690",
        "published": "2026-09-29T12:37:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "8 of 10 S. Koreans view two Koreas as separate states: poll",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/8-of-10-s-koreans-view-two-koreas-as-separate-states-poll",
        "published": "2026-09-29T13:07:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}