6 in 10 Americans support military intervention if N. Korea invades South: survey

6 in 10 Americans support military intervention if N. Korea invades South: survey

Diplomacy still preferred over military action in dealing with Pyongyang's nuclear issue

More than 60 percent of the American public would consent to US troop intervention if North Korea initiated military aggression against South Korea, a survey carried out by a US think tank showed Thursday.

In the nationwide poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 63 percent of Americans said they would support using US forces to defend the South if the North invaded.

The figure marks the second-highest since 1982, having reached a record high of 64 percent in 2018.

An invasion of South Korea by the North was one of four hypothetical scenarios mentioned in the survey. Respondents were also asked if they would support using US troops to defend Taiwan from China, Israel from its neighbors or a NATO ally from a Russian invasion.

To defend a NATO ally, 59 percent responded that they would support military intervention against Russia, while 52 percent said the same about Taiwan in case of a Chinese invasion. For Israel, the figure was 53 percent.

Regarding North Korea’s nuclear issue, some 35 percent responded in favor of military action while most preferred diplomacy.

The majority of Americans, or 76 percent, showed support for the idea of discussing an end-of-war declaration in return for North Korea abandoning its nuclear weapons program.

But only 24 percent agreed that dialogue with North Korea should continue even if the reclusive regime retains its nuclear arsenal.

The latest survey involved 2,086 US adults and was conducted July 7 to 26 with the support of the Korea Foundation and the Crown family, as part of a series of studies on American attitudes toward US foreign policy.

By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)