Almost 75% of South Koreans and Japanese Don’t Trust Each Other, According to Study

June 13, 2019

A new study has shown that a majority of Japanese and South Koreans mutually do not trust each other.

Researchers from the Yomiuri Shimbun in Japan and the Hankook Ilbo in Korea found that an astounding 74% of the Japanese people are now distrustful of South Koreans, while 75% of South Koreans felt the same about the Japanese, South China Morning Post reports.

The annual study, which was first conducted in 1996, revealed that Japan’s distrust of their neighbor was at an all-time high this year. Meanwhile, South Korean’s negative view of the Japanese was at least lower from 79% last year.

Based on the findings, 83% of Japanese respondents consider the diplomatic relationship between the two countries as bad, while 82 % of Koreans thought the same. Last year the figure was 63% for the Japanese participants and 69% for the Koreans.

According to the survey, one of the main issues of contention was the South Korean sex slaves aka “comfort women” in Japanese military brothels during World War II. About 87% of South Korean respondents believe it is necessary for Japan to apologize. Meanwhile, 80% of the Japanese insist that their country had already apologized enough.

The two sides also can’t agree on many other issues, including the order of Supreme Court of South Korea to compensate victims of Japan’s forced labor during the colonial rule of Tokyo on the Korean Peninsula, the name of the sea dividing the two countries, and both countries’ claims to sovereignty over a rocky islet known as Dok-do in Korea but claimed as Takeshima in Japan.

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