National Identity in a Divided Peninsula: Analysis of South Korean Attitudes Towards North Korean Defectors

This paper examines the evolving nature of South Korean national identity and its impact on attitudes towards North Korean defectors (NKDs). Challenging traditional civic‐ethnic dichotomies, this paper employs latent class analysis (LCA) on data from the 2018–2019 Unification Consciousness Survey to identify four distinct national identity types: hybrid, semi‐civic, civic and pluralistic. Our findings reveal that individuals with a more civic‐oriented identity are more accepting of NKDs as co‐ethnic and citizens. Meanwhile, perceptions of cultural differences do not influence the ethnic categorization of NKDs, but expectations of prolonged division significantly lead the civic and hybrid groups to view defectors as foreigners. This paper highlights the interplay of national identity, perceived differences and geopolitical realities in shaping intergroup attitudes in a divided nation.