Son, S.A. orcid.org/0000-0002-3045-7939 (2018) South Korea’s North Korean image problem : human rights under the spotlight. Asian Studies Review, 42 (4). pp. 662-681. ISSN 1035-7823
Abstract
The 2014 United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea (UN COI) had a decisive impact on South Korea’s approach to North Korea’s human rights abuses in the several years following its release. This article interprets moves within South Korea to support the UN COI’s recommendations as taken in the interests of ontological security, or a stable sense of identity, which has also driven the state’s broader initiatives on image management and nation branding. It extends the boundaries of nation-branding research by considering why and how a state may adopt policies that enhance its moral visibility and reputation in world affairs. It considers how a positive reputation is enhanced by demonstrating good international citizenship, promoting the visibility of state identity parameters beyond its culture and core industries. This article interprets the South Korean government’s efforts to act on North Korean human rights following the UN COI, as well as the significance of being seen to be doing so at home and abroad as security-giving behaviour asserting its moral authority in relation to North Korea. It explores how a longstanding policy of relative silence on North Korea’s human rights record acceded to identity-driven pressures arising from the UN COI and influencing South Korea’s international image-management strategy between 2014 and 2017.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 Asian Studies Association of Australia. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Asian Studies Review. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | South Korea; North Korea; human rights; identity; nation branding; ontological security |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of East Asian Studies (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 01 Apr 2020 07:48 |
Last Modified: | 03 Apr 2020 02:20 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/10357823.2018.1510898 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:146764 |