2020 Korean Identity: Trajectories of Change Over the Past 15 Years

Reflecting on 15 Years of the World We See

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Strengthening of 'Republic of Korea Nationalism'... Skepticism Towards Unification Reaches Majority for the First Time Since Survey Began

This book consists of a total of 10 chapters. Part I deals with Koreans' perceptions of history, nation, state, and the world. It examines how Korea is perceived across temporal and spatial dimensions. First, Lee Nae-young's analysis of the changes in Koreans' historical perception and political identity reveals that Koreans generally have high pride in the history of the Korean people and the Republic of Korea, and this pride has been steadily increasing since 2005. Kang Won-taek examined changes in Koreans' attitudes in terms of the conditions of being Korean, territorial meaning, and political community. He evaluated that from the results of the first survey in 2005, 'Republic of Korea nationalism,' which is more specific and incorporates modern attributes, was being formed based on kinship, and this attribute has further strengthened over time. In addition, Lee Sook-jong examines changes in Koreans' perceptions of globalization, threats to national interest, and major countries including the United States and China. The analysis shows that while Koreans support open trade and the decisions of international organizations, they are defensive regarding foreign nationality acquisition or aid, and their perceptions of globalization are mixed with both positive and negative aspects. Finally, Hwang Tae-hee examines how North Korea and unification are viewed, stating that while acknowledging North and South Korea as they are, only the South Korean system is recognized as the legitimate and rightful government. Interestingly, skepticism towards unification has intensified; not only did 'Unified Korea' rank low in Korea's long-term national goals, but the view that unification is not necessarily needed was recorded as a majority for the first time in the 2020 survey.

Deepening Identity-Based Conflicts... However, Preference for 'Economic Growth' Shows No Generational or Ideological Differences

Part II of this book covers Koreans' Political World: Political Differentiation and Democratic Governance. Jeong Han-wool examines changes in perceptions of various social conflicts and social cleavages in Korean society. Since the 2000s, social conflicts in Korea have evolved into a pluralistic structure, including traditional interest-based conflict factors and identity-based conflict factors. Koreans actually distinguish between traditional social conflict factors such as class, education level, region, and generation, and identity-based conflict factors such as environment, gender, immigration and refugees, and LGBTQ+ issues as independent dimensions. Kang Woo-chang identifies the aspects of democracy as understood by Koreans from various angles, stating that Koreans' satisfaction with Korean democracy has significantly improved since the mid-2000s. However, he points out the need for efforts to resolve inter-party conflicts, as the ideological polarization between progressives and conservatives, which is intensifying between politicians and some extreme supporters, could weaken the fundamental support for democracy among the general public. Park Hyung-joon examines public perceptions of Koreans' preferred long-term national goals, state values, and the corresponding role of government and institutional trust. For the past 15 years, Koreans have consistently viewed 'economic stability' and 'economic growth' as the first and second priority national goals. Following these, 'safe society' and 'fair society' were ranked third and fourth, and 'a society where individual freedom is respected' was ranked fifth. These preferences showed similar trends across all generations and did not reveal differences based on conservative or progressive ideological leanings.

A Complexifying Korean Society: Multicultural Indifference, Work-Life Imbalance, and Media Polarization

Part III of this book, Koreans' World of Life: Associations, Multiculturalism, Work and Life, and Communication, examines Korean society's transformation into a multicultural society due to international marriage and immigration, how to achieve work-life balance, and the issues of the increasingly complex media environment and media trust. Cho Min-hyo analyzes the multi-faceted changes in Koreans' attitudes towards multiculturalism and multicultural acceptance. He argues that the exclusive attitude towards multiculturalism, which emerged around 2015, has further strengthened in the 2020 survey. Specifically, while the proportion of those recognizing the advantages of a multicultural society has increased compared to the past, and vague fears or ignorance towards foreigners have decreased, multicultural indifference due to practical institutional reasons such as job competition is prominently observed. Park Sung-min examines perceptions of recent systems being introduced by the government or workplaces to promote work-life balance. The advent of crisis societies due to pandemics like COVID-19 or climate change, as well as even without such disasters, the workplace in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will undergo significant changes. This chapter examines the current status and necessity of flexible work arrangements in Korean society from the perspective of systems and time design that Koreans currently experience or consider desirable, work-life balance and harmony based on experience, and smart work styles and systems. Han Kyu-seop examines how Koreans perceive the rapidly changing media environment and how they trust various media differently. Korean society is experiencing political polarization, and as this political polarization extends into daily life, the phenomenon of social identification is becoming distinct. In this context, media trust is also becoming polarized, and it has entered a stage of social identification. Unconditional support is given based on identity and factional logic rather than facts or editorial stance towards the respective media outlet. Compared to the era dominated by established media where gatekeeping was somewhat possible, this phenomenon is further intensifying in the current media environment where the era of one-person media has arrived.

Table of Contents

Foreword

I. Koreans' Perceptions of History, Nation, State, and the World

Chapter 1: Koreans' Historical Perception and Political Identity ■ Lee Nae-young

Chapter 2: Koreans' National and Ethnic Identity: Changes Over 15 Years ■ Kang Won-taek

Chapter 3: Koreans' External Identity: Perceptions of Globalization, Major Powers, and Policy Issues ■ Lee Sook-jong

Chapter 4: Koreans' Perceptions of North Korea and Unification ■ Hwang Tae-hee

II. Koreans' Political World: Political Differentiation, Democracy, and Governance

Chapter 5: Changes in Koreans' Perceptions of Social Conflict Structures and the Reality of Political and Ideological Polarization ■ Jeong Han-wool

Chapter 6: Koreans' Ideological Identity and Attitudes Towards Democracy ■ Kang Woo-chang

Chapter 7: Changes in Koreans' Perceptions of National Vision, Government Role, and Government Trust ■ Park Hyung-joon · Ju Ji-ye

III. Koreans' World of Life: Associations, Multiculturalism, Work and Life, Communication

Chapter 8: The Multifaceted Nature of Koreans' Multicultural Perceptions ■ Choi Ji-hye · Cho Min-hyo

Chapter 9: Koreans' Stories About Work and Life: Present and Future ■ Park Sung-min

Chapter 10: Koreans' Media Identity ■ Han Kyu-seop · Noh Sun-hye