S. Koreans divided over use of single flag during two Koreas' Olympic march: poll

Published : Jan 18, 2018 - 13:51 Updated : Jan 18, 2018 - 13:51

Only 4 out of 10 South Koreans are in favor of using a unified flag when South and North Korean athletes march together at the opening and closing ceremonies of the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South, a survey showed Thursday.

At working-level talks Wednesday, the two Koreas agreed to march together under the neutral flag and to launch a joint women's ice hockey team for the Olympics, which will kick off in the South Korean alpine town of PyeongChang on Feb. 9.

The Realmeter poll said 40.5 percent of the 500 respondents across the nation approved of the use of the flag, which shows the Korean Peninsula, during the joint march.

On the other hand, 49.4 percent of respondents answered, "It's desirable for South and North Korean players to jointly enter the ceremonies holding up their respective national flags."

Members of a cheering squad wave the Korean Peninsula flag, symbolizing a unified Korea, during an inter-Korean match at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women`s World Championship in Gangneung, 237 kilometers east of Seoul, on April 6, 2017. (Yonhap)

By political inclination, 68.5 percent of the polled conservatives opposed the neutral flag, while 56.1 percent of the progressives agreed with using it, the poll said.

By age, respondents in their 60s and older were most in favor of using each country's national flag, with 62.2 percent, trailed by those in their 30s (50.7 percent), those in their 50s (48.3 percent) and those in their 20s (44 percent). But 52.1 percent of respondents in their 40s approved of the unified flag. (Yonhap)