Revisiting inter‐Korean events and South Koreans' perception on unification.

FAMILY reunification; BALLISTIC missiles; FAMILY reunions; PUBLIC support; HABITUATION (Neuropsychology); PUBLIC opinion

Objective: This study aims to examine how inter‐Korean events influence South Korean public opinion on unification. It seeks to understand the impact of various political events, including South‐North contacts and North Korean nuclear provocations, on South Koreans' attitudes towards unification. Methods: Using annual survey data from the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University (IPUS), this study creates a novel time‐series dataset spanning from 2007 to 2021. We test how each of the inter‐Korean political events affects support for unification and how key individual dispositions moderate the level of support. Results: The empirical findings reveal that inter‐Korean summits and family reunions positively affect unification sentiment, with family reunions showing surprisingly stronger impacts than inter‐Korean summits. Regarding North Korea's provocations, nuclear tests negatively influence public support for unification, while ballistic missile launches do not significantly impact unification sentiment, likely due to public habituation. Conclusion: This study contributes to existing literature by providing new empirical insights into the relationship between inter‐Korean political events and public opinion. The findings suggest that policymakers should focus on strategic short‐term initiatives, particularly increasing inter‐Korean contacts, to foster long‐term positive sentiment towards unification. However, it's important to note that individual variables become more influential in shaping public opinion over the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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