Anti-North Korean sentiment oranti-Democratic People's Republic of Korea sentiment (simplyanti-DPRK sentiment) refers to opposition or hostility towards theNorth Korea. While anti-North Korean or anti-DPRK sentiment are distinct from "anti-Korean sentiment" related to ethnic hostilities, they may also include racist elements such as hostility towards the North Korean people.
In the 21st century, anti-North Korean sentiments stem in large part from the state'snuclear weapons program and alow human rights record.
| Country polled | Positive | Negative | Neutral | Pos-Neg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States | 5% | 88% | 7 | −83 |
 United Kingdom | 7% | 89% | 4 | −82 |
 Australia | 6% | 87% | 7 | −81 |
 France | 9% | 85% | 6 | −76 |
 Canada | 10% | 81% | 9 | −71 |
 Spain | 5% | 75% | 20 | −70 |
 Greece | 6% | 64% | 30 | −58 |
 China | 19% | 76% | 5 | −57 |
 Germany | 1% | 56% | 43 | −55 |
| Global average | 17% | 59% | 24 | −42 |
 Brazil | 23% | 60% | 17 | −37 |
 Mexico | 24% | 54% | 22 | −30 |
 Peru | 22% | 51% | 27 | −29 |
 Indonesia | 17% | 46% | 37 | −29 |
 India | 19% | 40% | 41 | −21 |
 Turkey | 34% | 44% | 22 | −10 |
 Russia | 20% | 30% | 50 | −10 |
 Nigeria | 33% | 42% | 21 | −9 |
 Kenya | 27% | 36% | 37 | −9 |
 Pakistan | 20% | 25% | 55 | −5 |
There is also much concern in Japan regarding North Korea and its nuclear and long-range missilecapabilities, as a result of missile tests in1993,1998 and2006 and anunderground nuclear test in 2006. There are also controversies regardingNorth Korean abductions of Japanese, where Japanese citizens were abducted by North Korean agents during the 1970s and 1980s.[2]
AZainichi organisation which has strong ties to the DPRK,Chongryon, is commonly accused of providing funding and material to North Korea and indoctrinating the Zainichi Korean population to actively hate Japan.[citation needed]
According to a 2014 BBC World Service Poll, Japanese people alike hold the largest anti–North Korean sentiment in the world, with 91% negative views of North Korea's influence, and with only 1% positive view making Japan the third country with the most negative feelings of North Korea in the world, after South Korea and the United States.
In South Korea, hostility toward North Korea is calledanti-North sentiment (Korean: 반북감정;RR: ban-buk gam-jeong) and is commonly associated with right-leaning politics.[5][6] According to a 2014BBC World Service poll, 3% of South Koreans viewed North Korea's influence positively, with 91% expressing a negative view, making South Korea, after Japan, the country with the most negative feelings of North Korea in the world.[7]
As of 2023[update], there are around 33,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea. They have widely and consistently reported experiencing discrimination.[8][9] Areas of discrimination include but are not limited to employment discrimination, social isolation, and difficulty finding spouses.[8] Some South Koreans even admit to avoiding businesses owned by North Korean defectors.[8]
According to a 2012 study, North Korean men have greater difficulty than North Korean women in finding a spouse.[10] A 2015 paper highlighted the tendency of a South Korean variety show,Now On My Way to Meet You, to disproportionately present North Korean women as attractive marriage partners.[10]
Following North Korea's heavy re-militarization and a series of missile tests, Americans were conditioned to fear a possible attack by a "rogue state" such as North Korea. In United States PresidentGeorge W. Bush'sState of the Union Address on January 29, 2002, he described North Korea as a part of the "Axis of evil". Following the development of thenuclear program of North Korea and the2006 North Korean nuclear test, the United States imposed UNsanctions on North Korea. These economic sanctions are very unlikely to be lifted by the United States due to North Korea's noncompliance with thesix-party talk agreements.[citation needed]
From 1988 until 2008, and since November 2017, North Korea has been designated astate sponsor of terrorism for supportingHamas andHezbollah againstIsrael,[11] their role in the murder ofKim Jong-nam, supporting dictatorBashar al-Assad in theSyrian Civil War, close relationships withIran, and the suspicious death ofOtto Warmbier.[citation needed]
