US President Donald Trump speaks from the White House Rose Garden on Aug. 24, 2026. (AFP/Yonhap) Caption 8-2: (courtesy of Pew Research Center)
For the first time in more than two decades, a majority of South Koreans hold an unfavorable view of the US, according to a new poll, marking the first time negative sentiment has surpassed 50% since 2003, when the deaths of two Korean schoolgirls struck by a US military vehicle sparked widespread anti-American protests.The US-based Pew Research Center released its latest survey on Koreans’ views of relations with the US on Monday. According to the report, 55% of respondents expressed an “unfavorable” view of the US, up 16 percentage points from 39% last year.This marks the first time since 2003 that unfavorable views of the US have crossed the 50% mark.The share of those with a “very unfavorable” view doubled to 18%, from 9% last year. Meanwhile, 45% of respondents said they viewed the US favorably, down 16 percentage points from the previous year.The survey was conducted as part of the Pew Research Center’s 2026 Global Attitudes Survey. In Korea, 1,045 adults were surveyed between March 3 and April 4. Pew has conducted surveys of Korean public opinion for more than two decades.In 2003, amid widespread protests following the deaths of two middle school girls, Shin Hyo-sun and Shim Mi-seon, who were struck by a US military armored vehicle during a training exercise, 50% of South Koreans held an unfavorable view of the US, compared with 46% who viewed it favorably. Since then, favorable views of the US have consistently outpaced unfavorable ones.
