A new survey shows that more than six out of ten school-age children and adolescents in South Korea think unification of the two Koreas is necessary. 

The Unification Ministry on Friday announced the result of the survey on slightly more than 100-thousand students at around 600 elementary, middle and high schools across the country this year. 

Sixty-two-point-six percent of the respondents agreed on the necessity of unification, slightly less than 63-point-one percent in 2015 and 63-point-four percent last year. 

The ministry attributed the decline to negative images of North Korea following its frequent provocations and a growing perception that the regime is posing a threat to the security of the South. 

The survey showed the older the students are, the more negative they become about unification. 

Nearly three fourths of the fifth or sixth graders said unification is necessary, but the approval rate dropped to 59-point-three percent for the middle school students and 50-point-two percent for the high school students.

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