Polls & Research
Archive Search
Americans Reject Military Action in North Korea
- Many adults in the United States oppose a direct confrontation with North Korea, according to a poll by Zogby International. 56 per cent of respondents think the U.S. should not act militarily to stop North Korea from further developing nuclear weapons.
Kim Jong-il has been the de-facto leader of North Korea since the death of his father, Kim Il Song, in 1994. North Korea was branded as part of an "axis of evil" by U.S. president George W. Bush in January 2002. In February 2005, the government of North Korea admitted publicly for the first time that it possesses nuclear weapons.
In July, North Korea launched seven missiles—including the Taepodong-2—which landed in the Sea of Japan close to Russian coastal areas. On Oct. 9, the country announced it had successfully carried out a test detonation of a nuclear weapon.
The U.S., China, Japan, Russia and South Korea have held five rounds of talks with North Korea to discuss the country's nuclear program. Earlier this month, Democratic Delaware senator Joseph Biden said one-on-one negotiations should be considered, saying, "Every single party we're working with, every one of them, from Japan to Korea to Russia, has encouraged us privately to talk directly with North Korea."
Polling Data
Do you think the United States should act militarily to stop North Korea from further developing nuclear weapons?
Yes | 35% |
No | 56% |
Not sure | 9% |
Source: Zogby International / Reuters
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,013 likely American voters, conducted from Oct. 20 to Oct. 23, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.