S Korea-global influence

Four in 10 S. Koreans believe S. Korea's global influence is getting stronger: survey

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (Yonhap) -- Four out of every 10 South Koreans think their country's influence in the world stage grew stronger recently, a survey showed.

In an annual survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, 40 percent of those surveyed answered South Korea's global influence is getting stronger.

The reading marks the third highest among 19 countries surveyed after Israel and Singapore.

Of those surveyed in South Korea, 30 percent said the country's global influence is getting weaker.

The research said people satisfied with the current state of their democracy are more likely to say their country's global influence is getting stronger while those who are not satisfied are more likely to say the opposite.

"In every country surveyed, respondents who say they are not satisfied with their democracy are more likely to think their world influence has gotten weaker in recent years," it said.

In the United States, for instance, 57 percent of those surveyed said they were not satisfied with the current state of their democracy, while 47 percent of respondents said they think the country's global influence is on the wane.

The annual survey was conducted from Feb. 14 to June 3, involving a total of 20,944 people, including 1,008 in South Korea, according to the Pew Research Center.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]