Volume 2, Issue 1, Spring 2025

Editorial

What is “K” in Korean Communication Studies?
by Dal Yong Jin

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Research Articles

Aspirational Cosmopolitanism: Gender and Korean TV Dramas in the Era of Developmentalism
by Benjamin M. Han

Abstract: Korean TV dramas began to garner global attention in the 1990s. Particularly, TV dramas
popular in the era of developmentalism featured characters undergoing social class struggles. Social
class tensions have been critical to Korea’s developmentalism, where the sacrifice of working-class
female protagonists speaks to aspirational cosmopolitanism and the rise of the global middle class,
as a by-product of modernization. Even though Korean TV dramas have been known for their melodramatic
excess, often employing the formulaic Cinderella story, Star in My Heart (Byeoreun nae gaseume),
which was broadcast in 1997, portrays the ambivalent experience of social struggles that the
female protagonist endures while elevating her to a cosmopolitan subject (Kang, 1997). Engaging in a
textual analysis of Star in My Heart as a case study, this article examines how the TV drama addresses
gender relations during the era of developmentalism, as women use moral condemnation to cope
with their inferior social identity and assert their morality against the corrupted affluent class.

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How Authentic Are Your Workplaces? CEO Statement Narratives on Crisis Leadership, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion During a Crisis 
by Jeonghyun Janice Lee

Abstract: This study analyzes CEO statements from Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For
during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on crisis leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Using content analysis and text-mining methods, we examined 102 statements to understand how
companies communicated with stakeholders amid the crisis. The findings reveal that while CEOs frequently
emphasized care, empathy, and transparency, explicit DEI references were limited. Messages
primarily centered on health, safety, and operational resilience, often lacking specific support for
marginalized or diverse groups. These insights suggest that DEI priorities can be deprioritized during
crises, despite their importance to corporate reputation and stakeholder trust. This research offers
a framework for integrating DEI into crisis communication, encouraging leaders to maintain inclusive
values even in challenging times. Future studies should explore how DEI can be further embedded in
crisis messaging across different platforms.

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The Effects of User Comments on Corporate Social Advocacy Campaigns: The Mediating Role of Perceived Public Opinion and Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA) Motives
by Dongjae (Jay) Lim and Youngji Seo

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of user-generated comments about a corporate
social advocacy (CSA) campaign on public evaluations, focusing on attitudes toward the campaign,
the company, and the intention to engage in supportive behaviors. We conducted a 2 (type of
CSA campaign: traditional vs. participatory) × 2 (valence of user comments: positive vs. negative)
between-subjects online experiment. Positive comments enhance perceived public opinion distribution
and value-driven motives, leading to more favorable attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.
Conversely, negative comments increase skepticism and perceived self-serving motives, decreasing
favorable attitudes and supportive behavior intentions. The CSA communication strategy highlighting
public participation was ineffective in enhancing attitudes toward the CSA campaign. This study
extends the understanding of CSA communication and offers practical insights for effectively leveraging
social media to advocate sociopolitical causes.

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Global Korean Cinema and the Apocalypse of Asset Capitalism in Concrete Utopia
by Bohyeong Kim

Abstract: This article examines Concrete Utopia, released in 2023 and directed by Um Tae-hwa,
with a focus on its scathing critique of asset capitalism. Combining textual analysis and politicaleconomic
analysis of the film, I argue that the film presents an assetized critique of asset capitalism.
Set in post-apocalyptic Seoul where only one apartment building remains standing, the film depicts
conflicts between homeowners and nonowners, revealing how asset ownership has become central
to class position. Concrete Utopia captures the violence of South Korea’s asset-based capitalism and
its vertical modernity, while also suggesting the possibility for an alternative ethics. However, Concrete
Utopia’s imbrication with the process of assetization complicates its critical message, which I
examine through the film’s transmedia strategy and equity crowdfunding. I show how the scathing
critique Concrete Utopia makes on the asset economy becomes diluted as the film itself is made into
an asset.

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The Effects of Individual Perceptions on Activism Intentions via Different Social Media Sources and Message Orientations: Focused on Anti-Asian Crimes
by Yoosun Ham

Abstract: This study explored which message orientations, posted by either official government
accounts or influencers, were more effective and whether participants’ perceptions enhanced
activism intentions. Also, this study investigated whether anger and the Asian public’s perceptions
of self-efficacy and involvement led to an enhancement of individual activism intentions through
social media. This study found individual perceptions regarding social-oriented messages were more
strongly associated with activism intentions than when receiving self-oriented messages. People tend
to show higher activism intentions when they receive information from an influencer rather than
the official government or an international nongovernmental organization (NGO). Moderator effects
were found in this study. The theoretical implications and practical contributions of this study and
the data obtained are also discussed.

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Communications, Media, and Internet Concentration in South Korea, 2019–2022
by Dal Yong Jin and Seoyeon Park

Abstract: This report investigates media developments and market concentration trends across
nearly two dozen communication, internet, and media industries that make up the Korean network
media economy. We start by studying each of the sectors covered individually before grouping them
into three larger mid-range categories of similar type services: telecoms and internet access sectors,
online and traditional media services, and core internet sectors. Ultimately, we bring all these sectors
together to give a composite view of the network media economy over the period from 2019 to
2022. In a country where there are few-to-no established research studies on the topic of media concentration
and ownership, the goal of this report is to simultaneously examine specific media sectors
in order to understand their unique features, dynamics, and trends and to move from there toward a
holistic understanding of the Korean network media economy.

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Why Global Objects Matter for Communication and Media Studies
by Silvio Waisbord

Abstract: The goal of this article is to bring attention to the relevance of global objects in communication
and media studies. Global objects are suspended and work in the multiple registers of
globalization. They have three salient ontological properties: analytical foci, connectors, and representatives
of essential dynamics of globalization. They are objects that matter amid the constant
splitting of communication/media studies into porous and overlapping fields and subfields. Global
objects provide a sense of orientation and ontological footing.

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Ten Provocations on AI, Trust, and the Future of Communication
by Terry Flew

Abstract: As we enter a global artificial intelligence (AI) boom, it is important to bring together the
disparate array of conversations, provocations, and prophecies regarding AI and its societal impacts.
This article addresses such questions from the standpoint of trust as a concept and communications
as a disciplinary field. It notes both historical continuities and areas of discontinuity in these debates
and the importance of popular culture as a means of framing AI debates. This article also questions
the pessimistic scenario on AI’s likely impact on education, noting that it could be potentially positive
for the humanities.