70% Koreans and 60% of Japaneses support EU-style economic community between two countries

Seven out of ten South Koreans support pursuing a Korea–Japan economic community modeled on the European Union (EU), according to a recent survey. In Japan, six out of ten respondents also expressed support.
According to the results of a survey on Korea–Japan tourism cooperation and the promotion of an economic community, commissioned by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and conducted by Hankook Research among 500 South Korean and 500 Japanese respondents, 69.8% of South Koreans supported forming an economic community.
Of those respondents, 52.6% said it should be pursued as a medium- to long-term goal, while 17.2% said it should be pursued as soon as possible.
In Japan, 59.8% also expressed support.
Support was particularly high among Japanese respondents who had visited South Korea within the past five years. 74.5% of those with recent travel experience supported an economic community, compared with 45.4% of those who had never visited South Korea.
Both countries also responded positively to expanding bilateral tourism cooperation. 76.8% of South Koreans and 58.0% of Japanese respondents supported greater tourism cooperation.
Regarding a proposal to allow travel between the two countries using only a national identity card, such as South Korea’s Resident Registration Card, instead of a passport, 60.4% of South Koreans and 44.8% of Japanese respondents were in favor, exceeding those opposed (32.8% in South Korea and 35.0% in Japan).
Opinion was more divided over a mutual visa recognition system, described as a Korea–Japan version of the Schengen Agreement, that would allow travelers from third countries holding either a South Korean or Japanese visa to visit both countries with that single visa.
In South Korea, support (50.0%) narrowly exceeded opposition (45.2%). In Japan, however, opposition (38.6%) was higher than support (34.6%).
Respondents in both countries who supported the proposal cited expectations that an increase in foreign tourists would stimulate domestic consumption. Those opposed expressed concerns about an increase in illegal overstays and unauthorized employment by foreign nationals, as well as worries about public safety and rising crime.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry also cited its own research, “Analysis of the Economic Effects of Korea–Japan Tourism Cooperation” (July 2025), projecting that adoption of the mutual visa recognition system could attract up to 1.84 million additional inbound tourists to South Korea.