According to a survey of over 1,000 Koreans conducted by the East Asia Institute (EAI) last month, some 41.7 percent of respondents hold a favorable view of Japan, up 12.8 percentage point from a year ago and the highest level since the annual survey first began in 2013.
An almost similar proportion, or 42.7 percent, had the opposite view, but that was a significant decrease from 53.3 percent last year.
The institute attributed the shift to increased exposure to the neighboring country, driven by a rise in bilateral exchanges such as travel, cultural activities and people-to-people interactions.
Respondents cited the kindness and hard-working attitudes of Japanese people as the most positive aspects of the island country, followed by food and shopping experiences.
About 60.1 percent also viewed Japan as an "important trading partner" in their mutually interdependent relations.
Findings of the survey also indicated that resolving historical issues was deemed crucial for improving bilateral relations.
