Public support for unification with North Korea has increased in the South since last year, according to a new survey, which attributes the change to the election of President Lee Jae-myung and his push for peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang.

The annual survey by Seoul National University’s (SNU) Institute for Peace and Unification Studies found that 41.1% of respondents think unification is necessary, up 4.2 percentage points from 2024. 30.4% said unification is unnecessary, down 4.6 percentage points.

“A series of conciliatory measures toward North Korea have raised expectations for improved inter-Korean relations, especially among progressive groups, and these expectations appear