South Korea's favorability among Americans has reached an all-time high amid the growing popularity of K-pop and other cultural content, as well as global recognition of the country's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a poll of two-thousand-111 adults across the U.S. from July until October 19 by the nonpartisan Chicago Council on Global Affairs(CCGA), survey respondents gave South Korea's favorability a mean score of 60 on a scale from zero to 100.

On the first survey conducted in 1978, South Korea had a mean score of 47, which rose to the 50s around 2010.

The Council cited an "unprecedented boom" in awareness of South Korea’s cultural products and global influence, as well as the country's handling of COVID-19 winning plaudits from the international community.

A record 68 percent said South Korea practices fair trade with the U.S., while 58 percent favored using U.S. troops to defend South Korea in case of a North Korean invasion.

Meanwhile, North Korea received a mean favorability score of 19, the lowest of any country included on the latest survey.