Media as soft power: the role of the South Korean media in North Korea

Abstract

The Korean Wave, or Hallyu, the transnational mobility of South Korean popular culture, has spread globally, including to communist North Korea. This study perceptively examines the South Korean media as a form of soft power and articulates media studies of the Korean Wave and transnational media flows. It focuses on the influence of South Korean media on North Korean society, especially on how it motivates North Koreans to defect and facilitates their adaptation to life in South Korea following their defection. Interviews with 127 North Korean defectors (46 males, 81 females aged 20–50 and over) were analysed. Results reveal that increasing exposure to South Korean media and its soft power continues throughout the media consumption process, which eventually motivates North Korean defection. However, the attractiveness of the media did not positively influence defectors’ adaptation as much. This work offers invaluable empirical data on North Koreans’ use of South Korean media, and timely policy implications which further aims to contribute to the literature of soft power by focusing on its relevance to transcultural consumption.

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