US Policies on North Korea Out of Favor (among South Koreans)

[deadparrot]

More than half of South Koreans still oppose the United States' policies towards North Korea even though Pyongyang apparently crossed Washington's ambiguous ``red line'' by conducting a nuclear test on Oct. 9.

According to a poll conducted by The Korea Times, 39.6 percent of the respondents said they support Washington's North Korea policy in general, but 52.6 percent said they do not.

Political experts in Seoul, however, interpreted the result as being ``natural,'' saying many South Koreans think Washington's North Korea policies are ``unilateral'' and lean ``excessively'' toward punitive measures.

``Many South Koreans think Washington is not thoughtful enough about the special situation on the Korean Peninsula,'' said Yang Moo-jin, professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, referring to South Koreans' hope for peaceful unification with the North. The North remains economically on the brink of death but considered powerful militarily.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200610/kt2006103117404111990.htm