What South Koreans Think Of Other Countries And Vice Versa
Do Koreans Really Dislike Japan And China? What Countries Do They Like The Most?
It is well known that many Koreans have a negative view of China and Japan due to historical reasons. But do you know what country South Koreans like the most? How does your country rank?
In this article, we will look at what countries South Koreans like the most, and also find out what other countries think of South Korea!
Countries That South Koreans Like The Most
Over the past decades, K-pop culture and South Korean trends have spread around the world. This has led to many people abroad paying more attention to the East Asian nation, and many foreign nationals visit South Korea to find out what it's all about.
But South Korea is also a very patriotic country, with its own distinct culture. Although there are many foreigners now living in South Korea, some Koreans still hold prejudices against things and people not Korean.
Even so, many South Koreans also think positively about other countries and nationalities. Let's take a look at the results of a South Korean poll on the topic "the country that you like the most"!
*Note: The survey was conducted in 2019, prior to the Japan-South Korea dispute.
The survey polled 1,700 South Koreans of both sexes, aged 13 and over, on their opinion of other countries. As you can see in the graph above, United States was looked upon most favorably, with 16% answering that it is the foreign country that they like the most.
In second place was Australia with 12% of the votes, followed by Switzerland and Canada which both got 9% of the votes for a tied third place. In 5th place with 7% we find Japan, which was a surprise to us as we have heard that many South Koreans dislike Japan.
France (6%) was found in 6th place, England (5%) in 7th , and New Zealand (4.4%) in 8th place. Completing the top 10 were two countries with the same amount of votes (2.8%), namely Italy and Spain. Interestingly, there are not many Asian countries on the list.
Breaking down the results to different age groups, 20% of the respondents aged 10-20 years as well as respondents more than 60 years old liked the US the most.
From our personal experience, it seems like the elderly in South Korea have a positive view of US because of the Korean War, when American soldiers fought alongside Korean soldiers. This seems to have had a lasting impact on the impression on Americans.
People aged 30-50 years were split mainly between the US, Australia, Switzerland and Canada. Australia was especially popular among people in their 40s.
In contrast, France, England, Italy and Spain were popular with younger people. When we talk to our Korean friends, these are countries that often come up as countries they want to visit.
What Other Countries Think Of South Korea
As we mentioned before, South Korea is increasingly well known around the world, and a growing number of foreigners visit or live in South Korea.
We were interested in finding out other countries' sentiments towards Korea. Let's have a look at which countries like and dislike South Korea the most.
A survey of 7,500 foreigners in 15 different countries found that Russian, Indian, Brazilian and Thai nationals have the most positive image of South Korea, with more than 90% of the respondents having a favorable opinion.
Ranking 5-8 were Indonesia, UAE, Mexico and South Africa respectively, all with a percentage of more than 80%.
Ranked 9-14 were, in order, France, Australia, USA, UK, Germany and China, with a favorable index of 70% -60%.
There is then a huge gap to the 15th and last place, occupied by Japan, where only 18.8% responded that they have a positive view of South Korea.
The main reason for this is likely historical. In the past, Japan occupied Korea, and especially the issue of comfort women has been a sensitive topic in both countries recent years.
Although it has developed into an international issue, many believe that Japan still hasn't accepted responsibility for the actions of their military during the second world war.
Next, let's look at why foreigners feel the way they do about South Korea.
Respondents who had a positive image of South Korea said that they like the country because of K-pop, Korean food, fashion, makeup, drama series, culture and sports.
There were also those who responded that they like South Korean technology, cars, and high-tech technology.
Those with a negative image of South Korea gave expected answers, stating that it is due to the tension with North Korea and the Korean War.
We all have our own reasons and personal experiences that make us feel a certain way about other countries and people.
There are no perfect countries, but it is important to look beyond that and realize that we can all learn from each other.
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