Favorability of neighboring countries

China's favorability rating rose significantly from October to its highest level since January 2020. Japan's upward trend continued into 2026, and the United States' favorability rating also rebounded, reaching its highest level since President Trump took office.

Since 2018, Korea Research's regular survey, "Public Opinion in Public Opinion," has regularly tracked the Korean people's favorability ratings toward five neighboring countries (the United States, Japan, North Korea, China, and Russia). The results of these surveys fully capture the diverse and complex events that have unfolded on the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding areas since 2018.

Favorability ratings for US President Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un, and Russian President Vladimir Putin all remain low, and they differ significantly from national favorability ratings. Notably, US national favorability has also declined since Trump's inauguration, demonstrating that evaluations of individual leaders are influencing perceptions of the nation as a whole.

Japan's favorability rating has once again reached an all-time high, surpassing 44 degrees. Since President Trump's re-election, favorability ratings for the United States have remained more than 5 degrees lower than they were during President Biden's presidency.

Favorability ratings for the five major countries all rose slightly, including the U.S., which had fallen significantly since President Trump took office. Favorability ratings for Japan once again hit an all-time high.

The favorability rating for US President Trump, who took office in January, was nearly 1 degrees lower than that of his predecessor, President Biden. The favorability rating for North Korean State Affairs Chairman Kim Jong-un hit an all-time low.