한국 국민의 통일의식은 남북관계에 영향을 받는가?

Abstract

Do inter-Korean relations affect South Koreans’ perception on unification? The answer to this question seems obvious at first glance, but rigorous studies on this matter are lacking indeed. This study statistically verifies how inter-Korean relations affect South Koreans' unification perception by using the data from 'Unification Perception Survey' of the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University and the 'Inter-Korean Relations Index' processed by Google's big data. As a result, the closer the inter-Korean relations were, the more South Koreans responded that unification was necessary and would benefit individuals and the country. In addition, as inter-Korean relations improved, South Koreans had more favorable perception of North Korea as a possible partner for dialogue and compromise. If inter-Korean relations improve, Korean society's expectations and interests in unification will increase, and it can be expected that the perception of North Korea will also improve. Finally, the effect of inter-Korean relations on the unification perception was examined by gender, age and political orientation. While there was no difference between men and women, inter-Korean relations had greater effect on the unification perception among the younger generation and the more politically progressive population. In conclusion, in order to raise expectations for the unification of Korean society, it is necessary to consider ways to improve structural inter-Korean relations.