[Event][Conference] Results of the 2022 South Koreans' Perceptions of North Korean Human Rights Survey

14 Nov 2022
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On November 10, NKDB shared the findings of our annual survey on "South Koreans' Perceptions of North Korean Human Rights."

NKDB has carried out this annual survey since 2014 to measure the level of interest and awareness of North Korean human rights among the South Korean public. The survey is carried out with 1,000 South Koreans who are aged 19 and over.

The questions added to the 2022 survey include why they became interested in North Korean human rights, why they are not interested in North Korean human rights, whether they are aware of the incident of the repatriation of North Korean escapees in 2019, and the appointment of the new Ambassador on North Korean human rights.

In a survey with 1,000 South Koreans, 66.5% stated that they were interested in North Korean human rights. While North Korean human rights is often politicized in South Korea, there was little difference in the level of interest when it came to political affiliation (72.3% of progressives and 73.2% of conservatives said they were interested). Although the South Korean public has a rational perception of the issue it is clear that they are closed off due to the polarized framing of the issue. 


NKDB shared the results of the survey as well as its new endeavours to raise awareness on North Korean human rights through digital platforms including the Visual Atlas and Larchiveum of North Korean Human Rights.

Thanks to our panellists from Liberty in North Korea, UN OHCHR and SBS for joining us in the conversation in how we can overcome the obstacles to awareness-raising on North Korean human rights in South Korea.

The findings of the survey can be found on our website.