South Korea and the Global Community

Key Chapter Title List

1. Introduction
2. Shaping the Humanitarian Field: South Korean, American, and Christian NGOs in North Korea
3. Engaging and Encounters with the Global South through the Saemaul Undong
4. From Periphery to Center? South Korea's "Former Periphery" Status in Global Society
5. Negotiating Masculinity: Migrant Husbands and Cross-Border "Marrying Up"
6. Interactions with the Eastern 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. The Construction of the "Western" Model Minority in Korean Television: The Image of Germans in "Where Is My Friend’s Home?"
11. Social Media as Local Politics: YouTube Channels of North Korean Defectors in South Korea
12. Conclusion

Document Introduction

This research report collection, "South Korea and Global Society 2023," explores the multifaceted dynamics of South Korea's (primarily focusing on South Korea) interactions with global society. Its core thread analyzes South Korea's identity shift from an aid recipient/emigrant-sending country to a donor/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 of humanitarian activities by South Korean, American, and Christian NGOs in North Korea reveals the formation of interaction boundaries within a complex "humanitarian field" where authoritarianism and "adversarial" actors coexist. Simultaneously, the examination of the globally promoted Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement) project demonstrates South Korea's "autobiographical" export 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 made by male marriage migrants from South Asia within Korean families to adapt to new gender environments; traces the emotional labor and racialized, gendered stereotypes borne by Korean female healthcare workers who migrated to Germany in the last century within their nursing practices; explores how Korean American women navigate 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 of integration and resource access in practice.

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 in constructing "multiculturalism" narratives, simultaneously reproducing global racial hierarchies while offering localized challenges. Furthermore, the study of 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 an interdisciplinary research methodology, integrating perspectives from sociology, gender studies, ethnic studies, media studies, international relations, and area studies (particularly Korean Studies). Based on various 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 organizational dynamics, and micro-level individual experiences within South Korea's global interactions. The report ultimately concludes that South Korea's trajectory of interaction with global society is complex, dynamic, and marked by asymmetry, and its modes of engagement and evolving role in the post-pandemic era remain subjects for ongoing observation.