South Korea and the Global Community

Key Chapter Title List

1. Introduction
2. Shaping the Humanitarian Arena: South Korean, American, and Christian NGOs in North Korea
3. Engaging and Encountering the Global South through the Saemaul Undong
4. From Periphery to Center? South Korea's Former Peripheral Status in Global Society
5. Negotiating Masculinity: Migrant Husbands and Cross-Border Hypergamy
6. Interacting with the Oriental Samaritans: Emotions and Korean Nurses in Germany
7. Gendered Return: Korean American Femininity in South Korea
8. Towards a Multicultural Knowledge Economy? Emerging Issues in South Korea's Immigrant Tech Incubation
9. Neocolonial Ambivalence and Racial Representation in the Korean Drama "So Not Worth It"
10. Constructing the Western Model Minority in Korean Television: The Image of Germans in "Where Is My Friend’s Home?"
11. Social Media as Vernacular Politics: YouTube Channels of North Korean Defectors in South Korea
12. Conclusion

Document Introduction

This research collection, "South Korea and Global Society 2023," explores the multifaceted dynamics of South Korea's (primarily focusing on the ROK) interactions with the global society. Its central theme is analyzing South Korea's identity shift from a recipient nation/emigrant-sending country to a donor nation/immigrant-receiving country and the resulting interactive relationships. Spanning three key dimensions—development cooperation, transnational migration, and media—the research reveals patterns of reciprocity, tension, inclusion, and exclusion within this transformation process.

The report begins from an international development perspective, offering an in-depth analysis of South Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA) and humanitarian engagement. Among these, the case study on humanitarian activities by South Korean, American, and Christian NGOs in North Korea unveils the formation of interactive boundaries within the complex humanitarian arena coexisting with authoritarianism and opposing actors. Simultaneously, the examination of the globally promoted Korean Saemaul Undong project demonstrates the process of South Korea's autobiographical exportation of its local development experience to Africa and Asia, focusing on the interactions and tensions between South Korean development practitioners and local communities regarding communication, language, and participation in local governance during project implementation.

The second part shifts focus to individual-level encounters brought about by transnational migration. The research covers the negotiation of masculinity and strategic adjustments by South Asian male marriage migrants adapting to new gendered environments within Korean families; traces the emotional labor and racialized, gendered stereotypes carried by Korean female healthcare workers who migrated to Germany in the last century within their nursing practices; explores how Korean American women negotiate identity and status upon returning to their ancestral homeland through interactions with local Korean gender norms; and analyzes how the South Korean government's incubation policies for immigrant entrepreneurs face challenges in integration and resource access during practical operation.

The third part turns to interactions in virtual spaces and the politics of representation. By analyzing the representation of racial groups such as Black people and Germans in Korean television programs, the research reveals the contradictory nature of Korean media both reproducing global racial hierarchies and offering partial challenges while constructing multiculturalist narratives. Furthermore, the study on YouTube channels operated by North Korean defectors in South Korea demonstrates how this group utilizes global social media platforms for political and cultural expression, establishing connections with domestic and international audiences.

This report employs interdisciplinary research methodologies, integrating perspectives from sociology, gender studies, ethnic studies, media studies, international relations, and area studies (particularly Korean Studies). Based on diverse research methods including policy text analysis, media content analysis, in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and ethnography, the chapter contributors provide profound insights into the macro-level policies, meso-level organizations, and micro-level individual experiences within South Korea's global interactions. The report ultimately concludes that the trajectory of South Korea's interaction with global society is complex, dynamic, and marked by asymmetry, and its modes of participation and evolving role in the post-pandemic era remain subjects for ongoing observation.