What Korean children think of the necessity of reunification between the two Koreas.

61.2% of elementary, middle, and high school students said they needed unification, while 52.6% said North Korea was subject to cooperation.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Unification announced the results of the 2021 School Unification Education Survey on the 18th to understand the perception of peace and unification of elementary and secondary students and teachers and the current status of unification education.

The survey was conducted from November 1st to December 10th last year with the cooperation of provincial offices of education nationwide. A total of 72,524 people were surveyed, including 734 elementary, middle and high schools, 67,000 students, 4,437 teachers, and 1,087 managers.

Ribbons wishing for peace and unification. (Photo = Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's public communication room)

According to the results of the survey, 52.6% of students answered North Korea as "targeted for cooperation" and 27.1% as "targeted for vigilance." The perception that North Korea is a "warning target" increased slightly in 2021 from 24.2% at the time of the 2020 survey.

When asked if inter-Korean relations were peaceful, the students answered in the order of "normal" (48.8%), "not peaceful" (30.2%), and "peaceful" (21.1%). In particular, the perception of "peace" increased from 17.6% in 2020 to 21.1% in 2021.

Regarding the need for unification, students answered in the order of "Unification is necessary" (61.2%) and "Unification is not necessary" (25.0%). Many students recognize that "unification is necessary," and the perception that "unification is not necessary" has increased slightly compared to the 2020 survey.

In addition, the students answered in the order of "resolving the threat of war" (27.2%), "because it is the same people" (25.5%), and "resolving the pain of separated families" (20.9%).

In addition, 78.5% of students answered that they had received unification education at school. Even in the COVID-19 situation, it was found that unification education was steadily being conducted at the school site without significantly shrinking.

Students answered in the order of "the importance of peace between the two Koreas (52.4%), "the life and society of North Koreans" (46.9%), "the benefits of unification" (46.5%), "the need for exchange and cooperation between the two Koreas" (36.2%), and "understanding of inter-Korean division and social conflict" (34.8%).

Meanwhile, teachers cited "creating social consensus and atmosphere" (86.4%), "developing teaching and learning materials" (82.6%), "enhancing teacher expertise" (75.2%), and "reorganizing related laws and systems" (73.6%) as the areas to focus on (multiple responses).

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Unification said, "Based on the results of the survey, we will work closely with provincial offices across the country to develop teaching and learning materials, strengthen teacher expertise, and develop various hands-on and participatory programs."