Most S.Koreans Dislike China as Much as N.Korea

China scored a mere 2.6 out of 10 points in a Chosun Ilbo poll of South Koreans' views of other countries.

China scored even lower than former colonial power Japan and as low as North Korea. Some 30.5 percent of respondents gave zero points to China, vastly outnumbering the nine percent who gave it high marks from 6 to 10 points.

By political orientation, centrists and progressives gave China fewer points than conservatives, but the range was only between 2.55 points and 2.69 points. Anti-Chinese sentiment was particularly strong among the under-40s.

Twenty-somethings gave China a mere 1.78 points and 30-somethings 1.93 points, about a half of the over-60s' 3.29 points.

North Korea scored a fraction lower with 2.42 points. Some 38.5 percent gave the North a zero points, but a die-hard 8.8 percent viewed the North favorably. The U.S. did relatively well with 7.24 points, distantly trailed by Japan with 3.4 points.

Those were the only countries on the questionnaire.

But 40.4 percent supported the Moon Jae-in administration's policy of balancing between the country's two most important trading partners, joining neither the U.S.-led missile defense shield nor a Seoul-Washington-Tokyo military alliance. An almost equal 43.8 percent were against.