Dark Tourism and Death: A Grounded Theory Approach on Bongha Villiage

Changsup Shim; Chul Jeong

doi:10.17086/JTS.2015.39.5.11.26

Thanatological perspective has been widely accepted in recent tourism research on dark tourism while there are some criticisms on the perspective due to its excessive concentration on the concept of death. Therefore, this study aims to critically evaluate the validity of thanatological perspective on dark tourism by examining the tourist experience in Bongha villige in South Korea. The village is a hometown of former South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun although it became well-known after he committed suicide at the same place in 2009. After his death, the village has attracted each year around one million visitors and became a popular attraction in the region. Employing a grounded theory approach, we interviewed 14 tourists at Bongha village and analyzed their experience. The results show that thanatological perspective is a valid framework, which well explain the tourist experience in the village because their motivation, behavior, and personal impacts are closely associated with the concept of death while there are some limitations of the perspective. Based on the results, this study suggests that more attention should be paid to interdisciplinary approach on dark tourism.

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