U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks after a meeting with Republicans in Congress at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, Jan. 8. Reuters-Yonhap

Nearly 70 percent of Koreans consider U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House to be unfavorable for Seoul, the highest percentage among the 23 countries surveyed, according to a multi-country polling report published on Wednesday.

The findings were included in the report, "Alone in a Trumpian World: The EU and Global Public Opinion After the U.S. Election," published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

In the survey, 67 percent of Koreans said Trump's reelection was bad for Korea, the highest rate among the 23 nations surveyed, which included China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Africa, Turkiye, Indonesia, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and 11 EU members.

"In countries from India and China to Turkey and Brazil, more respondents think Trump will be good for American influence, for their country and for peace in the world than think he will be bad for them," the report stated.

"Tellingly, the one exception outside Europe is South Korea — a democracy, which, like most European countries, depends on the U.S. for its security. In short, Trump's return is lamented by America's longtime allies but almost nobody else," it added.

The survey's finding on Trump's return being less welcomed by Koreans seems to reflect concerns here over the former U.S. president's previous demands for Seoul to pay hefty increases over the stationed U.S. Forces Korea soldiers, issuing threats to pull out the troops if he does not get a better deal.

The ECFR report also found that optimism about Trump's peacemaking abilities, particularly regarding the Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East, was the weakest in European nations and Korea. This was in contrast to the opinion of other countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China and the U.S. where Trump's peacemaker pitch resonated with the public.

Additionally, Korea had the lowest rate of "Trump welcomers" among the 23 nations — those who view Trump's election victory as good for Americans and for world peace. Only 13 percent of Korean respondents identified themselves as "Trump welcomers," compared to the highest rate of 75 percent in India, followed by 49 percent in Saudi Arabia.

The global poll was conducted in November 2024 among 28,549 people across 24 countries, including 1,000 adults in Korea. The 24 countries surveyed included 16 European nations — Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the U.K. — along with eight non-European countries. They are Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Korea and the United States.