More than half of the South Korean people do not think pardoning two former conservative presidents currently imprisoned for corruption would help achieve national unity.

In Realmeter's survey of 500 adults nationwide conducted last Friday, 56-point-one percent of respondents said the pardons will not contribute towards national unity.

Thirty-eight-point-eight percent said they will, while five-point-one percent said that they did not know.

Pessimism was dominant among respondents who consider themselves liberals at 81-point-four percent, while the gaps between the optimists and pessimists among moderates and conservatives were within the margin of error.

A majority of those 60 or older gave a positive response, in contrast to those in their 20s to 50s, a majority of whom responded negatively.

The survey, commissioned by YTN, had a confidence level of 95 percent with a margin of error of plus or minus four-point-four percentage points.