Challenges in South Korea's Foreign and Security Governance: Perspectives from Foreign Correspondents in Seoul

“Governance” is no longer a concept confined to domestic politics or administration. As interdependence in international relations intensifies, the importance of national foreign and security governance capabilities to ensure national survival and prosperity, and the safety and happiness of citizens, is increasingly highlighted. In particular, governance capabilities in the foreign and security sectors are indispensable for navigating the current era of great transformation. However, governance cannot be secured solely through government-level efforts. Only when a system is in place to gather and coordinate the various voices within our society to achieve optimal harmony can South Korea's foreign and security governance capabilities be considered complete.

The East Asia Institute (EAI) plans to organize a Foreign and Security Governance Roundtable, inviting a group of scholars and experts directly or indirectly involved in foreign and security affairs, to share a sense of the issues and strengthen bonds, thereby contributing to the creation of a knowledge network related to foreign and security affairs within our society.

At the Second Foreign and Security Governance Roundtable, held on January 20, 2010, major foreign correspondents were invited to examine the gap between South Korea's self-perception and its image projected to the world through the lens of foreign media coverage of South Korea's foreign and security affairs, and to discuss the challenges facing South Korea's foreign and security policy. Specifically, the objective was to identify areas for improvement in South Korea's foreign and security policy by addressing the current situation where, despite having diverse news material, these issues fail to develop into news that captures overseas public attention, and by discussing the structural causes behind this phenomenon. The main discussion points from this roundtable, attended by four foreign correspondents, are as follows:

Challenges in South Korea's Foreign and Security Governance: Perspectives from Foreign Correspondents in Seoul

Participants pointed out that from the perspective of foreign correspondents in Seoul, South Korea possesses ample news material, yet the stories produced by both the government and private sector fail to capture the attention of foreign media, a phenomenon referred to as a lack of "Story Selling." Consequently, it is regrettable that news related to South Korea tends to be concentrated on specific issues. Currently, foreign media coverage of South Korea primarily concerns North Korea, particularly the North Korean nuclear issue, and even then, it often focuses on U.S.-related issues such as the ROK-U.S. alliance rather than presenting diverse perspectives. Furthermore, other news related to South Korea largely consists of topical articles lacking continuity, and in the absence of North Korean nuclear issues or sensational incidents, news related to South Korea virtually disappears. This reality, where major foreign media coverage of South Korea is concentrated on the North Korean nuclear issue instead of showcasing South Korea's diverse aspects, distorts South Korea's image projected to the world and can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings regarding South Korea's foreign and security agenda. Therefore, this is not merely a matter of media reporting tendencies but a challenge for foreign and security governance that requires diverse efforts and cooperation from both government and private sectors. In relation to this situation, the roundtable first examined structural causes, including the issue of South Korea-related news being overshadowed by the North Korean nuclear issue, the lack of management of ripple effects from biased media coverage, the government's self-centered public relations system, and the domestic media's neglect of developing diverse international news, and then discussed potential improvements.

1. South Korea-Related Issues Overshadowed by the North Korean Nuclear Problem

Currently, news related to South Korea as perceived globally is excessively focused on the North Korean nuclear issue. The North Korean nuclear problem is a complex security issue that is difficult to resolve in the short term, and by its nature as a security issue, it is also difficult to disclose all aspects in media reporting. Nevertheless, with recent foreign media coverage related to South Korea concentrating on the North Korean nuclear issue, South Korea-related issues are becoming buried under the unresolved problem of North Korea's nuclear program. It is unclear whether this biased reporting by foreign media reflects the expectations of overseas public opinion, which first shows interest in North Korea-related matters concerning South Korea, or if it is the media's emphasis on North Korean nuclear issues that has led overseas public opinion to prioritize the North Korean nuclear problem.

The problem is not so much the chicken-and-egg dilemma itself, but rather the accelerating vicious cycle where major foreign media's intensive reporting on the North Korean nuclear issue focuses overseas public attention on North Korea, and as reader interest centers on the North Korean nuclear issue, the focus of South Korea-related news becomes even more concentrated on North Korea. Situations such as a crucial issue like South Korea's presidential election being valued as news more for its implications on changes in inter-Korean relations than for its own significance, or a de-escalation of tensions due to dialogue leading to a decrease in the value of South Korea-related news, can be seen as results of this reinforcing vicious cycle. This acceleration of the vicious cycle, where South Korea's major issues are overshadowed by North Korea and its nuclear program, not only diminishes South Korea's soft power by highlighting it as a country constantly exposed to the threat of war rather than as a developed nation that has achieved economic growth and democratization, but also distorts the direction and importance of South Korea's key foreign and security policies. Therefore, an approach and improvement efforts from a foreign and security governance perspective are necessary.

2. Lack of Management of Ripple Effects from Biased Foreign Media Exposure

Participants pointed out that the major foreign and security issues of South Korea exposed in foreign media are not only concentrated on the North Korean nuclear issue but also exhibit a pro-U.S. bias. This bias can create the perception among neighboring countries that South Korea's foreign and security policy is excessively tilted towards the United States. However, the management of these ripple effects, which can cause unnecessary misunderstandings about South Korea's foreign and security policies, is insufficient. For example, although the strengthening of the ROK-U.S. alliance and bilateral cooperation is not necessarily an act of hostility towards China, the exposure of South Korea's major foreign and security issues in foreign media in a pro-U.S. manner creates the possibility that China may perceive the South Korean government as disregarding China or pursuing policies hostile to it. However, efforts to mitigate these risks through various channels of explanation are lacking. The same applies to the ROK-China FTA and ROK-Japan FTA. Although the current difficulties faced by these FTAs are primarily due to economic factors such as differences in national economic systems and industrial structures, there is a perception within China and Japan that the FTAs are not progressing smoothly because South Korea, due to its U.S.-centric foreign policy, neglects China and Japan. Active responses from the South Korean government are necessary to prevent this perception from taking root in the public opinion of neighboring countries. The South Korean government must recognize the potential ripple effects of biased foreign media reporting and devise measures to correct and mitigate the negative consequences arising from unnecessary misunderstandings.

3. Self-Centered Government Public Relations System

To prevent South Korea's foreign and security issues reported in foreign media from being solely focused on the North Korean nuclear problem, active efforts are needed from both government and private sectors to produce diverse news and encourage global understanding and interest in various South Korean issues. However, issues currently covered domestically rarely capture the attention of foreign media. Examining the reasons, South Korea tends to lag in agenda-setting. Furthermore, even when an agenda is developed, a lack of complex and convergent thinking, coupled with an excessively domestic-centric perspective, results in an insufficient ability to frame agendas in a way that attracts foreign media attention. Moreover, rather than recognizing the difference in perspectives between the South Korean government and foreign media, and considering what information readers or foreign correspondents would be interested in, there is a tendency to authoritarianly pursue public relations for the sake of public relations from a self-centered viewpoint. Participants identified the tendency to view domestic and international issues solely from a domestic perspective as a primary cause. In fact, few countries are as sensitive to their evaluation in foreign media as South Korea. Nevertheless, due to an overly Korean perspective on domestic and international issues, the problem arises of reducing even the international perspectives of foreign media to a domestic viewpoint.

Furthermore, the lack of effort to explain government policies through two-way communication, rather than one-sided public relations, is also a problem. One of the biggest difficulties faced by South Korea-based foreign correspondents in creating news about major foreign and security issues, including the North Korean nuclear problem, is the difficulty in interviewing government officials who can explain government policies. To become news rather than mere topics, stories must be told from a balanced perspective. However, in South Korea, policy officials, unlike spokespersons, often avoid media exposure, leading to situations where only critical views of policy are obtained or where stories cannot be constructed, thus failing to develop into news. Instead of unilaterally pursuing authoritarian public relations without deviating from a Korean perspective, it is necessary to develop issues of core agendas through multifaceted, two-way communication with complex thinking and to develop them into news that attracts the attention of foreign media.

4. Domestic Media's Neglect of Developing Diverse International News

Finally, the issue of South Korean media outlets themselves was also discussed. It is true that foreign correspondents operating in Seoul rely to some extent on domestic media to generate and report stories. However, domestic media rarely frames South Korea's diverse news materials into stories that would capture the interest of overseas public opinion. Furthermore, the proportion of international news covered by domestic media outlets is fragmented and limited, with a significant number of articles being topical reports on overseas incidents and accidents. Moreover, these international news items are often based on reports from major foreign media outlets rather than the results of independent reporting. In this situation, where most domestic media outlets fail to produce news that can attract international attention, foreign correspondents in Seoul must themselves undertake the task of framing international news within limited time and resources. However, given that there are only one or two foreign correspondents per major foreign media outlet stationed in Seoul, it is difficult to produce diverse news related to South Korea beyond specific issues like the North Korean nuclear problem.

5. The Need for Developing a Clear Philosophy and Sustained Pursuit

How can the structural problems in South Korea's foreign and security affairs related to foreign media reporting be resolved? Realistically, there are inherent limitations to the marketability of news related to South Korea. This is because South Korea is not a major power whose domestic key issues have a direct global impact. Even if we understand and frame South Korea's issues from a complex, international perspective and create compelling stories, it is difficult for news related to South Korea to attract the attention of major foreign media outlets.

Nevertheless, there are certainly memorable core concepts when discussing South Korean diplomacy, such as President Kim Dae-jung's Sunshine Policy or the concept of a "balancer" during the participatory government era. This is because the philosophy and goals that South Korea's foreign and security policy sought to achieve at the time are clearly reflected in these concepts, and it is also the result of the government's development and sustained pursuit of new concepts through intellectual imagination and courage.

A clear philosophy for South Korea's foreign and security policy must be developed, clear policy goals and content formulated, and these must be consistently explained and pursued. The attitude of adhering to arbitrary public relations for issues that will not sell to foreign media, based on a domestic and government-centric perspective, must be clearly avoided. However, if new, complex concepts are developed that align with the rapidly changing trends in East Asian and international affairs, and if these are consistently promoted and pursued, there will be opportunities in the long term for South Korea's key foreign and security issues to attract the attention of foreign media and become known to the world. Furthermore, these series of efforts will serve as a foundation for preventing unnecessary misunderstandings about South Korea's foreign and security policy, enhancing the importance of South Korea's foreign and security policy, and ultimately, boosting South Korea's soft power.■

List of Participants

Kim Byung-kook, Professor, Korea University

Makino, Yoshihiro, Asahi Shimbun Correspondent in Seoul

Son Ji-ae, CNN Correspondent in Seoul

Cha Doo-hyun, Research Director, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses

Zhan Debin, Global Times Correspondent in Seoul

Choi Kang, Professor, Korea National Diplomatic Academy

Choi Sang-hoon, International Herald Tribune Correspondent in Seoul