Exploring Global Citizenship Discourse in South Korea: An Analysis of News Articles and Online Community Posts after Sustainable Development Goals

In today's globalized world, issues such as climate crises, pandemics, refugees, and human rights necessitate a collective "global citizenship" response (Beck, 2010). Despite the ongoing reconfiguration of the neoliberal world order, there is an urgent need for humanity to address global challenges like sustainability and environmental protection. Global citizenship, encapsulated by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizes collaboration across nations for a sustainable future (UN, 2015). In South Korea, the increasing diversity in population, coupled with the growing importance of global citizenship, signals a shift towards a multicultural society.

This study employs a LDA topic modeling to analyze discourse surrounding global citizenship in South Korea to examine data from Korean news articles and popular online community (Naver Café) posts and comments from 2015 to 2024. The research investigates how global citizenship is represented across these platforms, particularly after the introduction of the SDGs.

The results show that the media predominantly focuses on institutional and policy-based approaches, with an emphasis on global citizenship education and corporate social responsibility. In contrast, online communities discuss topics such as personal experiences, values, global ethics, and religious dimensions, expanding the conceptual discourse on global citizenship. Notably, online discussions give greater prominence to contemporary global issues like the climate crisis, environmental protection, marine conservation and pandemics, as well as migrant rights and discrimination. This suggests that, compared to the media, which primarily delivers events, online communities engage in broader discussions linking modern global issues to global citizenship.

This research expands the scope of existing studies by integrating everyday discourse from media and online platforms. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of shaping global agendas through media and advocates for government support to develop programs that enhance citizens' awareness of global citizenship, thereby promoting a collaborative approach to addressing contemporary global issues.