A public opinion survey in eight countries around the world has found widespread skepticism about the possibility of inter-Korean unification, even when there is strong support for political reconciliation with North Korea in principle.

According to the survey by the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), respondents in nearly all countries polled — including the U.S. and several European nations — rated unification as necessary but unlikely to occur. 

Japan recorded the lowest confidence on both measures, while Mongolia stood out as the only country that viewed unification as achievable, the report stated.

“In most countries, there is a large