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The ROKS Soyang is seen during its commissioning ceremony in 2018. / Yonhap

More than four in 10 South Koreans oppose a plan to deploy South Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz, according to a poll released on Sept. 10. As the government draws up a military deployment plan involving P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and the logistics support ship ROKS Soyang at the request of the United States, public opinion remains divided, with a sizable share of respondents withholding judgment.

Embrain Public, KSTAT Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research said they conducted a National Barometer Survey, or NBS, of 1,002 adults aged 18 and older nationwide from Sept. 7 to 9. Of the respondents, 45% said they opposed the proposed deployment to the Strait of Hormuz.

Thirty-six percent said they supported the plan, 9 percentage points lower than the opposition figure, while 19% said they did not know or gave no response.

Views on the deployment differed sharply by age group. Among respondents in their 40s and 50s, 54% and 59%, respectively, opposed the deployment. By contrast, support was relatively higher among those in their 20s or younger and those aged 60 or older, at 40% and 42%, respectively.

Clear differences also emerged by political affiliation and ideological orientation. Among supporters of the Democratic Party, 31% backed the deployment while 55% opposed it. Among People Power Party supporters, 46% supported the plan and 40% opposed it.

By ideology, 60% of self-identified liberals opposed the deployment, while 53% of conservatives supported it. Among respondents who identified as moderates, opposition stood at 43%, compared with 35% in favor.

The NBS was conducted through telephone interviews using randomly generated mobile phone numbers. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 15.4%. Detailed figures and statistical data are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

                                                                                                             Shim Jun-bo