North Korea has ratcheted up international tension and fear with its sixth and largest nuclear test but South Koreans feel increasingly doubtful it will start a war, a poll shows.
A Gallup Korea survey released on Friday found 58 per cent of South Koreans felt there was no possibility North Korea would cause a war, while 37 per cent said they thought it would.
Gallup Korea began asking South Koreans the question in 1992 and the percentage of respondents this time who thought the North would not start a war was the second highest since then.
In the first poll, 69 per cent of those questioned thought the North would start a war while only 24 per cent thought it would not.
The survey released on Friday showed South Koreans were considerably less concerned about war compared with June 2007, nine months after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test, in September 2006.
In 2007, 51 per cent of respondents said they expected a war, while 45 per cent did not.
"The survey results show South Koreans have likely grown accustomed to its repeated threats of provocation after over 60 years in a ceasefire state," Gallup Korea said in a statement.
