Anchor: A KBS survey to mark the nation’s Liberation Day this week has found that South Koreans’ perceptions of North Korea have improved amid recent advancements in inter-Korean ties. However, the survey of one-thousand adults nationwide also shows that South Koreans have become more cautious about the need for unification. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more on the survey.

Report: When asked for their perceptions about North Korea, 20-point-six percent of respondents in the KBS survey disclosed Wednesday said they have a positive feeling, up more than 18 percentage points from a similar survey conducted last year.

Roughly 35 percent said they felt negatively about the North, down 53 percentage points from last year, while nearly 44 percent said they do not have a particular view about their northern neighbor.

One respondent said that North Korea is starting to change, citing that inter-Korean summits have been held and that Pyongyang has promised to scrap its nuclear ambitions.

The survey also found that expectations have grown that the North Korean nuclear issue will be resolved, with around 55 percent saying they are optimistic about such prospects. Nearly 45 percent expressed a pessimistic view.

On the need for unification, 20-point-four percent of the surveyed said the two Koreas must be reunited, while 45-point-six percent said unification would be desirable if there are no major burdens on the South.

Some 25 percent said it would be preferable for the two Koreas to coexist for a significant amount of time and nearly nine percent said it would be better for the two Koreas not to reunite.

Overall, 66 percent of respondents issued a positive answer on the need for unification, down from last year.

Kim Yong-hyun, professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, says with efforts to improve inter-Korean ties and to denuclearize the North gaining speed, South Koreans apparently feel both excited and burdened about unification.
 
KBS commissioned CNR Korea to conduct the survey, which has a 95 percent confidence level with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three-point-one percentage points.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.