South Korean views of America hit record low
Trump tariffs and foreign policy face strong opposition
Support for U.S.-South Korea alliance remains firm amid North Korea threat
South Korean views of America have turned sharply negative, with more than half of South Koreans now holding an unfavorable opinion of the United States.
It is the first time negative sentiment toward the U.S. has exceeded 50% since the survey series began 23 years ago.
According to a report released Aug. 25 by the Pew Research Center, 55% of South Koreans said they hold an unfavorable view of the United States. It marks the highest level of anti-U.S. sentiment recorded since Pew began surveying South Korea in 2002.
Compared with 2018, the second year of President Donald Trump’s first term, when 18% held an unfavorable view of the U.S., the share has surged by 37 percentage points. By contrast, favorable views of the United States reached a record 89% in the summer of 2022 during the Biden administration.
This year, 18% of respondents said they viewed the U.S. “very unfavorably,” twice the 9% recorded last year.
South Korean views of America reflect falling trust
Trust in the United States has also declined sharply.
Fifty-seven percent of South Koreans described the U.S. as a “reliable partner,” down 26 percentage points from 83% in 2022 during the Biden administration.
Only 21% said the United States takes the interests of allies such as South Korea into account when making international policy decisions. That was down 17 percentage points from 38% in 2023.
The share of respondents who said the U.S. contributes to global peace and stability also fell, from 74% in 2023 to 47% this year.
Strong opposition to Trump tariffs and foreign policy
Trump’s tariff policies drew particularly strong opposition.
According to the survey, 85% of respondents opposed the president’s tariff policy, including 63% who said they “strongly oppose” it.
Negative sentiment extended to other areas of U.S. foreign policy. About three in four respondents gave an unfavorable assessment of Trump’s approach toward Iran, with 47% saying they strongly opposed the policy.
Despite worsening attitudes toward Washington, support for the U.S.-South Korea security alliance remains strong.
Eighty-four percent of respondents named the United States as South Korea’s most important ally. That was slightly lower than 89% last year but still represented an overwhelming majority.
North Korea also continued to be identified as the greatest threat to South Korea’s national security.
U.S.-South Korea security alliance remains strong
One of the central pillars of the U.S.-South Korea security alliance is the presence of American troops in South Korea.
According to the Defense Manpower Data Center under the U.S. Department of Defense, about 23,400 active-duty U.S. military personnel were stationed in South Korea as of March. That makes South Korea the third-largest overseas host of active-duty U.S. troops, after Japan and Germany.
The survey was conducted from March 3 to April 4 among 1,045 South Korean adults, before Trump called for a reduction in joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises.
