@article{ART003218764},
author={Hye-Ok Kim and JOOWON YUK},
title={Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea},
journal={The Journal of Multicultural Society},
issn={2005-2553},
year={2025},
volume={18},
number={2},
pages={77-116}
TY - JOUR
AU - Hye-Ok Kim
AU - JOOWON YUK
TI - Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea
JO - The Journal of Multicultural Society
PY - 2025
VL - 18
IS - 2
PB - Research Institute of Asian Women
SP - 77
EP - 116
SN - 2005-2553
AB - In South Korea, the term global citizen first emerged in the early 1990s as a byproduct of the broader globalization discourse. It appeared to gain wider traction around 2015, particularly with UNESCO’s promotion of Global Citizenship Education (GCED). However, this study begins with the critical observation that prevailing understandings of global citizenship in Korean society do not necessarily resonate with the UNESCO model. Employing critical discourse analysis, this research examines editorials on global citizen published in major national daily newspapers between 1990 and 2024. The findings reveal that in the 1990s, global citizenship was framed as a new form of national identity that Korean citizens were encouraged to adopt in response to globalization. By the mid-2000s, the discourse shifted to emphasize global citizens as “global talent”, aligning with neoliberal aspirations of competitiveness and international success. From the mid-2010s, with greater involvement from UNESCO and other NGOs, the discourse evolved again-this time highlighting global citizens as agents capable of addressing transnational challenges through solidarity and cooperation. This humanitarian framing increasingly came into tension with earlier narratives centered on cultivating a global elite. In recent years, however, the global resurgence of neo-Cold War dynamics and the rise of nationalist sentiments have led to the emergence of ideologically polarized discourses around global citizenship in South Korea.
KW - global citizen;nation-state;global talent;neo-Cold War;critical discourse analysis
DO -
UR -
ER -
Hye-Ok Kim and JOOWON YUK. (2025). Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea. The Journal of Multicultural Society, 18(2), 77-116.
Hye-Ok Kim and JOOWON YUK. 2025, "Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea", The Journal of Multicultural Society, vol.18, no.2 pp.77-116.
Hye-Ok Kim, JOOWON YUK "Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea" The Journal of Multicultural Society 18.2 pp.77-116 (2025) : 77.
Hye-Ok Kim, JOOWON YUK. Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea. 2025; 18(2), 77-116.
Hye-Ok Kim and JOOWON YUK. "Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea" The Journal of Multicultural Society 18, no.2 (2025) : 77-116.
Hye-Ok Kim; JOOWON YUK. Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea. The Journal of Multicultural Society, 18(2), 77-116.
Hye-Ok Kim; JOOWON YUK. Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea. The Journal of Multicultural Society. 2025; 18(2) 77-116.
Hye-Ok Kim, JOOWON YUK. Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea. 2025; 18(2), 77-116.
Hye-Ok Kim and JOOWON YUK. "Critical Reflections on the Formation of Global Citizen Discourse in South Korea" The Journal of Multicultural Society 18, no.2 (2025) : 77-116.
