This paper asks how co-ethnic hierarchy informs the formulation and implementation of South Korean official policies on diaspora return migration. While prior Diaspora Engagement Policy (DEP)...Show moreThis paper asks how co-ethnic hierarchy informs the formulation and implementation of South Korean official policies on diaspora return migration. While prior Diaspora Engagement Policy (DEP) research often observed preference for diaspora members over other immigrants, this paper expands the literature on DEP by considering South Korea’s preference for certain co-ethnic groups over other within diaspora. The analysis includes the three largest Korean diaspora groups: the Korean-Chinese, Koryoin, and Korean-Americans. First, by conducting a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of laws, this paper examines presence of a co-ethnic hierarchy in formulated return migration policies. Second, an exploration of diaspora groups’ eligibility for Overseas Korea visas reveals how co-ethnic hierarchy informs implemented return migration policies. Although there is no explicit differential treatment between diaspora groups in formulated policies since 2004, there is an apparent co-ethnic hierarchy in visa regulation. Implicit language found in legal textual policies confirms that the South Korean government regulates return migration of its diaspora according to a hierarchical order.Show less
South Korea, Japan, and China are struggling with loneliness in their respective societies. As prolonged feelings of loneliness can have large and lasting consequences for one’s health, it should...Show moreSouth Korea, Japan, and China are struggling with loneliness in their respective societies. As prolonged feelings of loneliness can have large and lasting consequences for one’s health, it should be avoided at all costs. People found solace in watching livestreams; the streams are very personal and it feels like the hosts are in the room with you. In South Korea, mukbangs became popular as more and more people are living in single-person households and therefore more frequently eat alone as well. VTubers made it possible for Japanese people to interact with anime characters, giving life to large communities as a growing number of people are looking at technology to fulfill their social needs. Nǚ zhǔ bō streams provided young Chinese men that are unable to find real girlfriends a virtual girlfriend experience. Livestreaming is a breeding ground for parasocial relationships, as the relationship between streamer and viewer feels very intimate and real. Ideally would viewers find comfort in the company not of the streamers, but in the community as a whole, in which actual meaningful relationships can be formed.Show less
This thesis is situated in the current debate on how Soft power can be utilized in policy making and aims to understand the relations between Soft and Hard power. By analyzing the Expo 2030 in...Show moreThis thesis is situated in the current debate on how Soft power can be utilized in policy making and aims to understand the relations between Soft and Hard power. By analyzing the Expo 2030 in Busan bid, this paper will investigate how Soft power is employed to advance economic Hard power in the Republic of South Korea. With social media analysis, focusing on data and content, as well as content analysis of Yet to Come in Busan concert materials, this work will show that Soft power can be successfully implemented for policy making, thus providing a tool for middle power states to improve their international presence. Hence, by exploring the relations between Soft and Hard power in South Korea, this thesis paper will also contribute to understanding how power relations and new forms of public diplomacy are both of international and regional importance. Throughout the case study this paper will argue that by understanding and interacting with social media audiences, Korea follows a two-way communication approach, thus employing Soft power to increase economic Hard power.Show less
This thesis investigates state identity articulations in foreign policy regarding the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) within the context of a deteriorating security...Show moreThis thesis investigates state identity articulations in foreign policy regarding the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) within the context of a deteriorating security environment in Northeast Asia. Through a critical constructivist approach, the study explores how South Korea’s collective memory of historical experiences with Japan has influenced South Korea's foreign policy decisions and bilateral relations with Japan from 2012 to 2023. The findings show that the increasing need for security cooperation reconstructs South Korea’s national identity. South Korea’s colonial memories have impeded an approach toward future-oriented policies regarding the GSOMIA. However, under the current Yoon administration, South Korea appears to prioritize bilateral security cooperation with Japan instead of reproducing the historical disputes, resulting in the improvement of South Korea-Japan relations. This study contributes to the current scholarship on identity and IR by showing how state identity shapes international relations, with a focus on how state identity articulations in foreign policy manifest and transform amidst increasing security threats, and its impact on bilateral ties.Show less
On the background of the Korean split into North and South, this thesis examines the lexical changes found in the Korean language as influenced by entirely different political and social structures...Show moreOn the background of the Korean split into North and South, this thesis examines the lexical changes found in the Korean language as influenced by entirely different political and social structures that developed in each part of the peninsula and what those developments mean for reunification prospects. The dictatorship in the North has been found to prescribe language changes top-down, purging most foreign influences in Korean lexica, while the South experienced a bottom-up language change shaped by the influx of foreign, particularly American, influence, economic growth and globalization. Situations of contact over the years, and especially the joint project for 'A Unified and Unabridged Korean Dictionary', as well as shared cultural roots and sufficient lexical similarities, lead to the conclusion that a hypothetical reunification could be executed despite the 75-year long separation.Show less
The thesis investigates the potential causes behind the differing responses given by South Korea and Taiwan in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster using a qualitative...Show moreThe thesis investigates the potential causes behind the differing responses given by South Korea and Taiwan in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster using a qualitative thick description analysis. This work contributes to the field of soft power by conducting a case study: this field is often criticized for its lack of empirical evidence. This topic is important as it posits a causal relationship between Japanese soft power and the differing levels of responses given, showing that soft power has visible and tangible effects. The research question was as follows: what explains the differences in Taiwanese and South Korean support following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami? Based on the research it was found that many factors, namely nationalism, historical relations, and the individual country’s soft power resources as mediating factors to Japan’s soft power.Show less
This work looks at the South Korean PC bang in the theoretical framework based upon the third place theory created by Ray Oldenburg. After an introduction to the PC bang, their role in contemporary...Show moreThis work looks at the South Korean PC bang in the theoretical framework based upon the third place theory created by Ray Oldenburg. After an introduction to the PC bang, their role in contemporary South Korea will be explained by comparing them to the characteristics described in the third place theory. Numbers on the PC bang visitors were gained from official records from KOCCA (Korea Creative Content Agency). The research was done in two parts. First, a survey was deployed through online South Korean communities to find data on people’s feelings about the PC bang, and second, personal observations on the Korean PC bang were added. My conclusion is that the PC bang does not fully comply with the third place theory as set by Oldenburg, but that it provides a new form of third place. By bringing both the online and offline space in one place together, it gives way to new forms of socializing, for which revision of the original third place theory is necessary.Show less
In 2015, the Sino-ROK bilateral relations were the strongest they had been since the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1992. Due to increasing North Korean nuclear provocations in the...Show moreIn 2015, the Sino-ROK bilateral relations were the strongest they had been since the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1992. Due to increasing North Korean nuclear provocations in the following year, the United States and South Korea decided to deploy THAAD, a US missile defense system. China felt that the presence of THAAD on the Korean peninsula infringed on Chinese national security and decided to impose informal sanctions on South Korea. The sanctions damaged the Sino-ROK ties, and Korean people’s opinion on China worsened drastically. This thesis examines the change in sentiment during the THAAD conflict and analyzes whether sentiments have improved since the normalization of the Sino-ROK relations since October of 2017 by performing a comment sentiment analysis on responses to newspaper articles that were published on South Korean online platform Naver during key events in the THAAD dispute. After the evaluation, sentiment analysis proved itself to be a good substitute of survey-based research methods as the results reflected existing polling data. Furthermore, this thesis finds that South Korean commenters’ sentiments in regard to China worsened steadily during the conflict and did not improve in the following years due to new issues and disputes arising between the two countries. The increase in anti-Chinese sentiment in the Korean population could make it more difficult to conduct diplomacy with China in the future.Show less
Hallyu still charges forward as a new and evolved version of itself, dubbed Hallyu 2.0. Adapting to the digital world and expanding online, it is still increasing the spread of South Korean culture...Show moreHallyu still charges forward as a new and evolved version of itself, dubbed Hallyu 2.0. Adapting to the digital world and expanding online, it is still increasing the spread of South Korean culture and the Soft Power of South Korea. One often overlooked sector of this phenomenon is the gaming sector. Despite being by far the most profitable sector, it falls behind music, dramas, movies and other categories when it comes to spread and impact, especially in Europe. This thesis aims to research this discrepancy in financial success and longevity in order to find out why Korean games are relatively unknown in Europe. Discoveries include bad reputation, lack of recognizable attributes, looked down upon mechanics in Korean games and the preferences of European players not being met. This work aims to open the door to future research about the topic.Show less
South Korea-China bilateral relations deteriorated in the wake of the THAAD announcement in July of 2016. China considers the anti-ballistic missile defense system currently situated on South...Show moreSouth Korea-China bilateral relations deteriorated in the wake of the THAAD announcement in July of 2016. China considers the anti-ballistic missile defense system currently situated on South Korean soil a gross violation of their national security. Subsequently, Chinese public opinion of South Korea regressed swiftly due to negative representation of South Korea’s security policies throughout Chinese state media. In response, South Korea employed public and traditional diplomatic approaches to restore bilateral favorability. Through a mixed method exploratory study, which considers quantitative and qualitative data, the effectiveness of public diplomacy in the given context was clearly deduced . This approach is seldom employed in the field of diplomacy research and thus resulted in a more innovative understanding. The findings demonstrate the insignificant impact that public diplomacy had on Chinese public opinion subsequent to the THAAD incident. Influential Chinese state media, effective traditional diplomatic alternatives, and insufficient coordination represent the key roadblocks for public diplomacy’s efficiency in targeting the Chinese population. Anticipating these variables can facilitate further development of public diplomacy strategies by South Korean policy makers.Show less
This thesis aims to find an answer to the question: “How is Korea’s religious pluralism represented in Korean popular media?” This topic has only been looked at in literary research. Because of...Show moreThis thesis aims to find an answer to the question: “How is Korea’s religious pluralism represented in Korean popular media?” This topic has only been looked at in literary research. Because of this, this thesis makes use of other means to research this subject, with a particular focus on South Korean television dramas. This is done by analysis of multiple scenes from South Korean drama television shows. These scenes each had an element that fit into the broader category of religious pluralism. The categories used in this research are: religious people using parts of other religions/belief systems, non-religious people using parts of religions/belief systems, and religions/belief systems coexisting side by side. The research shows that while all three of these types of scenes are represented, the most represented type of scene in this analysis is of non-religious people using parts of religions/belief systems.Show less
