South Koreans are starkly divided over North Korea's nuclear threat

South Koreans are starkly divided over North Korea's nuclear threat.

Differing views on North Korea are now sharper than ever, influenced by Pyongyang 's repeated vows to attack South Korea .

Older people and conservatives often have more unease about North Korea than liberals and younger people.

Some older people who have spent their lives hearing angry warnings from North Korea feel no fear.

South Koreans tend to be nonchalant about a danger that has been around their entire lives.

But there are growing questions in South Korea about the U.S. commitment to back up its “nuclear umbrella” protecting the South .

Polls show that more than half want Seoul to build its own nukes.

President Yoon Suk Yeol laid out a vision that rejects the legitimacy of North Korea , an expert says.

The North ’s rapid progress on nuclear-tipped missiles that could hit the U.S. mainland has raised serious questions about whether Washington would fulfill its oft-stated pledge to respond with its own nuclear weapons if the North attacked South Korea .

There are nearly 30,000 American troops in South Korea and another 50,000 in nearby Japan .