SEOUL: A total of 54.3% of South Korean respondents had a positive view of Japan, according to a survey conducted in July by South Korea’s East Asia Institute.
The figure increased 1.9 percentage points compared to the previous year and was the highest figure since the survey began in 2013.
In 2020, when Japan-South Korean relations deteriorated, only 12.3% of South Korean respondents had a positive view of Japan. However, the figure showed an upward trend in subsequent surveys, exceeding 50% in 2025.
Of those who had a positive view of Japan, common responses were, “Japanese people value kindness, cleanliness and order” and “The country has an interesting culinary culture, great shopping and is a good place to travel.”
Regarding the reason for the upward trend, the survey cited that more people have opportunities to interact with Japanese people through travel and other activities.
Meanwhile, 35.3% of Japanese respondents had a positive view of South Korea, an increase of 10.5 percentage points compared to the previous year, while 44.1% had a negative view, a decrease of 6.9 percentage points.
The survey was conducted online in collabosation with the International House of Japan. The surveys received responses from about 1,500 people in each country aged 18 and older. - The Japan News/ANN
