It would be easy to assume that South Korea’s relationships with China and North Korea are inextricably linked, not least because Beijing is Pyongyang’s biggest backer. And South Koreans are in broad agreement that China and the DPRK pose significant security challenges.

But public opinion breaks down quite differently. South Koreans across the political spectrum feel mostly negatively about China, but there are fundamental divides between the left and right about how to handle North Korea. 

This political rift goes back to the Korean War, reflecting uncertainty in the ROK about the DPRK’s place within Korean identity. And by understanding