Global Times reports that a Gallup Korea poll of 1,000 South Koreans, commissioned by the Chinese embassy in Seoul, found 73.8% favour closer or stable China-Korea relations. Because the poll was commissioned by the Chinese side and method details were not published, it should be read with caution.
According to a Global Times report on the 30th, 73.8% of respondents in the poll on South Korean perceptions of China, commissioned by the Chinese embassy in South Korea and conducted by Gallup Korea, supported developing China-Korea relations. Of these, 35.5% said ties should become closer and 38.3% said they should stay at their current level. The sample was reported as 1,000 people across ages, genders, regions and political leanings, but the fieldwork dates, margin of error and survey mode could not be confirmed.
광고 문의 · 300×250On economic and technological cooperation, 80.8% said economic and trade cooperation should be maintained or deepened, with 44.2% choosing deepened and 36.6% keeping it as it is. Support for science and technology cooperation stood at 72.4%.
Balance between the US and China, and interest in travel
Some 74.3% said South Korea should stay balanced between China and the United States: 42.7% said it should avoid picking sides and handle issues case by case, and 31.6% said it should cooperate with both in a balanced way. About 46.1% said they were considering travel to China.
How views form, and what would improve them
The report says nearly 70% form their views of China mainly through news and social media, while only about 15% cite contact with Chinese people or visits to China. Asked what would improve views of China, respondents named resolving specific disputes (27.7%), reducing false or misleading information (23.4%), delivering more tangible cooperation outcomes (20.1%) and expanding direct people-to-people exchanges (10.6%).
Global Times also carried analysis by Zhan Debin of a Shanghai university, who said South Korean views of China are contradictory: people recognise the value of cooperation yet hold negative impressions, and social media content opens a gap between poll results and everyday sentiment. The report added that Chinese ambassador to Korea Dai Bing published an op-ed in Yonhap calling for deeper cooperation.
Because the poll was commissioned by the Chinese embassy and reported by Chinese state-affiliated media, it should be compared with other polls conducted in South Korea. No separate response from Korean institutions or the government appeared in the reports reviewed.