Analysis of Korean Discourse on Global Citizenship Using Lda Topic Modeling: A Study of News Coverage and Online Community Posts

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

This study utilizes 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 explore 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 encourages government support to develop programs that enhance citizens' awareness of global citizenship, thereby promoting a collaborative approach to addressing contemporary global issues.