SINGAPORE: As the two nations strive for a strategic alliance and commemorate 50 years of diplomatic ties next year, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to Singapore this week was significant.
Although the two nations’ bilateral relations have not received much attention, public opinions of one another appear to be positive. Due in large part to pop culture and celebrities like K-pop group BTS and English Premier League footballer Son Heung-min, two out of three Singaporeans have a favourable opinion of South Korea.
According to a recent survey conducted on behalf of the South Korean embassy in Singapore, there is a widespread lack of knowledge on issues outside of the Korean Wave.
This is in line with the results of a survey conducted earlier this year by the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, which found that only 1.1% of Singaporeans believed that South Korea would support the global free trade agenda and that it would provide leadership to preserve the rules-based order and respect international law.
Singapore was chosen as the most preferred and trusted ASEAN nation by South Korean youngsters aged 19 to 34 in a 2021 survey by the Seoul-based ASEAN-Korea Centre. In terms of economy, society and culture, and international relations, Singapore was also thought to be the ASEAN nation that was closest to South Korea, second only to Vietnam.