Over 60 pct of S. Koreans support proposed inter-Korean summit: poll

SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Yonhap) -- Six out of ten South Koreans think the two Koreas should hold another round of bilateral summit talks, a poll showed Thursday, amid an inter-Korean rapprochement driven by the Olympic Games currently under way in PyeongChang. According to the Realmeter survey of 500 adults nationwide, 61.5 percent were in favor of a meeting between President Moon Jae-in and his northern counterpart Kim Jong-un. Only 31.2 percent opposed a summit, citing the need to prioritize sanctions and pressure on the nuclear-armed communist neighbor, while 7.3 percent remained neutral. The poll was conducted on Wednesday and was commissioned by tbs, a local radio station. The margin of error is plus and minus 4.4 percentage points. Most of those who support the liberal ruling Democratic Party and the progressive Justice Party hoped for another inter-Korean summit. But only 11.3 percent of supporters of the conservative main opposition Liberty Korea Party wanted the talks to happen. By region, 82.5 percent of people supported the summit in Gwangju and Jeolla provinces, where there have traditionally been more liberal-minded voters, and 60 percent of Seoul residents also expressed a positive view. In major cities and towns in South Korea's southeastern area, however, opinions were divided almost evenly. Daegu and nearby North Gyeongsang Province are a stronghold for the Liberty Korea Party. In terms of age, 72.8 percent of respondents in their 40s supported the idea of a summit, as did 65.9 percent of those in their 30s, 65.8 percent of those in their 20s, 57.5 percent of those in their 50s and 49.3 percent of people aged 60 and older. The survey came as the two Koreas prepare for the follow-up to the North's participation in the Olympics and a visit here by its high-level delegation led by Kim Yong-nam, the nation's ceremonial head of state. The delegates included Kim Yo-jong, the influential and only sister of Kim Jong-un. Introducing herself as his special envoy in a meeting with the South Korean president last week, she delivered her brother's invitation to Moon to visit Pyongyang. If realized, it would set the stage for the first inter-Korean summit since 2007. The two sides held the first summit talks in 2000, which led to various joint economic and other cooperation projects such as the now-defunct industrial complex in Kaesong and a tourism program to Mount Kumgang in the North's eastern region. lcd@yna.co.kr (END)