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Perception of Russia in the Republic of Korea through the prism of public opinion

Pugacheva O.S.,

Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, pugacheva@iccaras.ru

ORCID: 0000-0003-1031-9085 | RESEARCHER_ID: AAG-5098-2021

Article received: 2025.04.05 15:30. Accepted: 2026.01.22 15:31


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2026.03.07
EDN: XKGROA

Rubric: Orbis terrarum

For citation:

Pugacheva O.S. Perception of Russia in the Republic of Korea through the prism of public opinion. – Polis. Political Studies. 2026. No. 3. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2026.03.07. EDN: XKGROA

Abstract

During the period 2022–2024, relations between Russia and the Republic of Korea (ROK) have significantly deteriorated due to Moscow’s launch of a special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine and Seoul’s participation in sanctions against Russia. In this regard, the questions of whether the perception of Russia in the ROK has changed since the start of the SMO and how sustainable the changes in South Korean public opinion towards Russia have become relevant. The article aims to trace the dynamics of the perception of Russia and attitudes towards it in the ROK through the prism of public opinion polls as well as to assess how public opinion towards Russia has changed and whether changes in public opinion in the ROK can influence Russia-South Korean relations. Since the early 2010s, there has been a negative trend in the perception of Russia in the ROK. It can be stated that there is pessimism regarding cooperation with Russia, increased wariness towards it, as well as the spread of the image of Russia’s hostility. After the events of February 2022, the attitude of South Koreans towards Russia has worsened, and the hostile perception of Russia was fueled by reports of military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK. The population of the ROK reacted sensitively to changes in Russian-South Korean relations, and polls reflected their deterioration. At the same time, public opinion is unlikely to become an obstacle to the restoration of relations between the two countries, since it was caused not so much by deep historical grievances, but rather correlates with the international situation and the state of relations between Russia and the ROK.

Keywords

Russia, Republic of Korea, perception of Russia, Russian-South Korean relations, public opinion polls.

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