Public Opinion

The Home Stretch: #Shigak no. 39

By | May 06, 2017

The South Korean presidential election may be mere days away, but it continues to throw up some fascinating stories. We look at some of the best in this, the penultimate pre-election edition of #Shigak.

South Korea’s Identity Gap: Diverging Views on North Korea

By and | January 23, 2017

How close do South Korean youth feel to North Korea vis-a-vis their older compatriots? What do they think about the reunification of a nation long divided? Reviewing the latest survey data and fresh evidence from qualitative interviews, Phillip Lee and Steven Denney confirm what many have long suspected: a growing identity gap.

South Korean Democracy: Consolidated or Not?

By | December 07, 2016

Recent research suggesting rapidly declining youth support for democracy in Western states triggered a debate in the New York Times and elsewhere. The decline was found to be real, but not terribly dramatic. What is the situation in South Korea?

South Korean Identity: The Return of Ethnic Exclusivism?

By | October 28, 2016

It is both necessary and interesting to take regular snapshots of identity. South Korea just did so. The “Korean identity survey” was conducted for the third time in 2015, and the results have now been published. Steven Denney parses the data.

THAAD and the Politicization of Missile Defense in South Korea

By | July 29, 2016

THAAD is a hot issue in South Korea today. There is conflict over the safety of the system, as well as popular anger at the government’s failure to consult the public at either the local or national level prior to announcing THAAD deployment. This has reinvigorated concerns over the relationship between democracy and the core tenets of the US-ROK alliance. Darcie Draudt investigates.