A New Security Consensus in South Korea?

A New Security Consensus in South Korea?

From The Asia Chessboard by Center for Strategic and International Studies

May 12, 2026 · 47 min

About this episode

Mike and Dr. Choi Kang discuss South Korean public opinion on security challenges and the implications for the country's strategic direction.

Mike joins Dr. Choi Kang, President of the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, to break down the latest results from the Institute’s annual public opinion poll and what they reveal about how South Koreans view today’s most pressing security challenges. Why is Japan’s Prime Minister the most popular global leader among South Koreans? What’s driving record-high support for the U.S.–ROK alliance? And why is backing for an indigenous nuclear deterrent simultaneously rising to unprecedented levels? Mike and Dr. Choi unpack the data and what it means for South Korea’s strategic direction on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

People in this episode

Host: Mike

Guest: Dr. Choi Kang

Topics covered

  • South Korea
  • security challenges
  • public opinion poll
  • U.S.–ROK alliance
  • nuclear deterrent
  • Japan's leadership

Keywords

  • South Korea
  • security
  • public opinion
  • U.S.–ROK alliance
  • nuclear deterrent
  • Japan
  • Asan Institute

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Asan Institute for Policy Studies, U.S.–ROK alliance

Places: South Korea, Japan, Korean Peninsula

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