Volume 24, Number 2 (2025)
Published Dec 31, 2025 · 11 articles
Research Article · pp. 1-25
Harnessing Earned Media: A Comparative Analysis of Landmark Digital Signage Impact on Social MediaSeung-Chul Yoo, Jumi Lee, Ho Young Yoon
This study delves into the evolving landscape of outdoor advertising by investigating the 'earned' media effects of landmark digital signage, particularly as amplified through social media sharing. By analyzing two high-profile cases-the 'Wave' at Seoul COEX and the 'Samsung S8 Whale' at New York Times Square-this research leverages YouTube Data API and NodeXL to assess online visibility, recommendation pathways, and user engagement. The findings underscore the persistent digital footprint of these advertisements, particularly the 'Wave,' which maintained significant visibility well beyond its physical display period. This study offers critical insights for advertisers aiming to optimize the digital reach and longevity of their outdoor media campaigns through strategic integration with social media platforms. The research contributes to the broader discourse on the efficacy of modern advertising, providing actionable recommendations for leveraging digital signage in an increasingly interconnected media environment.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.001 PDF on KoreaScienceLandmark Digital SignageDigital Outdoor AdvertisingEarned MediaAdvertising Effect
Research Article · pp. 26-51
Naver News analysis and Korean representation of Issue between Palestine and IsraelNorhayatun Syamilah Osman, Chan-Woo Kim, Han Woo Park
This paper explores the media representation in mainstream South Korean search portal, Naver, and news outlets regarding the issue between Palestine and Israel. By utilizing text data analytical methods such as sentiment analysis and frequency analysis, this paper also analyzed the evolution of opinions regarding the issue alongside its development over a period of six months from October 2023 to April 2024. Referencing from the frameworks of Critical Discourse Analysis and Content Analysis, this paper also explores the reporting tendencies of South Korean news outlets and the potential future trends of media coverage regarding the Palestine-Israel issue. Results found that as the issue develops over time, media outlets in South Korea tend to report more about the dynamics between Israel and the USA, the economical casualties for the rest of the world, rather than highlighting more on the effects of Israel's military attacks towards the people of Palestine in Gaza. Future studies can be improved by incorporating additional data sources and time frames to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the media landscape surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.026 PDF on KoreaSciencePalestineIsraelSouth KoreaMedia representationSocial Network
Research Article · pp. 52-68
Toward a New Framework for Digital Piracy: Rethinking Network and Digital Piracy in South Korea Beyond the "Social"Gwangseok Kim
This paper attempts to develop a nuanced theoretical framework to understand digital piracy beyond conventional binaries between legality and illegality, by proposing an integrated perspective on the technological, economic, and cultural dimensions of piracy. Digital piracy, historically framed as the antithesis of copyright, emerges from complex negotiations rather than stable legal definitions. Using South Korea as a case study, a country both lauded for its advanced IT infrastructure and scrutinized for rampant piracy, the paper examines the evolution of copyright law and its enforcement. The study critiques existing literature for neglecting the materiality and technical architecture of piracy networks. It argues that piracy cannot be reduced to simplistic narratives of criminality or romanticized ideals of free exchange or "sharing". Instead, pirate networks embody hybrid economies and practices, where motives range from altruistic sharing to profit-driven actions. Building on Actor-Network Theory (ANT), the paper emphasizes the role of non-human actors - such as servers, protocols, and software designs - in shaping these networks. By moving beyond human-centered approaches, it highlights the dynamics of technical and social elements in the formation and function of pirate networks. Finally, the paper questions the political implications of piracy, suggesting that its acts and networks challenge traditional notions of resistance and private property while reflecting the multifaceted realities of digital and globalized cultures. As a country that has transformed from a global piracy hotspot into a leading exporter of digital content, South Korea offers a compelling lens to examine how digital piracy is shaped by complex socio-technical and geopolitical dynamics. Through this exploration, the study contributes to a broader understanding of digital piracy as a phenomenon embedded in complex socio-technical systems.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.052 PDF on KoreaScienceDigital PiracySouth KoreaNetworkCopyrightActor-Network Theory
Research Article · pp. 69-93
Evaluating Political Expression of Publics Inside and Outside the Walls: A Comparative Analysis of Online Public Posts on U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's Visit to ChinaWeiwen Yu
Adopting a comparative cross-platform approach, this study examines political expression on social media. Tracking a case study-U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's visit to China-across two social media platforms popular within and outside China's borders (Sina Weibo, and X formerly known as Twitter), this study compared information sources, criticality and diversity, as well as impoliteness and incivility of the online public posts. A quantitative content analysis of around 438 comments posted on Weibo and X shows for the public comments within and outside the borders, there was a significant difference in using the number of governmental information sources and criticism of the Chinese government and its policies, but no significant difference in their impoliteness and incivility. This crossplatform analysis enables a deeper understanding of the stereotypes and realities of public political expressions inside and outside the walls in the context of a new geopolitical conflict and the Internet age.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.069 PDF on KoreaScienceOnline Political ExpressionPublics within and outside the BordersSocial MediaSina WeiboX (Twitter)
Editorial · pp. 94-100
Editorial: Entangled Futures - Governance, Resistance, and Publics in Digital TransformationsDechun Zhang, Justin Chun-ting Ho
Digital technologies now constitute the infrastructures through which political authority, public identity, and cultural meaning are produced in East Asia, creating a digital order that is at once enabling and constraining. Platforms and data systems accelerate information flows and diversify modes of expression, yet also rationalize surveillance, concentrate power, and amplify affective manipulation. East Asian cases show that digital governance is not rigid in authoritarian contexts nor fragmented in democratic ones, but adaptive across regime types: authoritarian states mobilize privacy discourses and infrastructural design to consolidate authority, while democratic actors recalibrate persuasion and trust within "low-attention" media environments. Cultural industries further demonstrate how digital spaces embed nationalism, branding, and soft power into transnational entertainment. This special issue develops theoretical concepts such as authoritarian privacy, low-attention media, digital nationalism, and virtual nation branding, positioning East Asia as central to rethinking digital politics. In doing so, it underscores that digital infrastructures are not neutral tools but evolving arenas where authority, legitimacy, and participation are continuously negotiated through technological, legal, and cultural forms.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.094 PDF on KoreaScienceEast Asiadigital politicsplatform governancedigital infrastructuresdigital technologies
Research Article · pp. 101-120
The Vulnerability of Privacy Protection in Chinese Digital Society: A Critical Review through Two CasesRuoxin Su, Jikai Wang
China's emerging data privacy framework presents a significant paradox, diverging from Western models by embedding privacy within a state-centric vision of digital governance. While initiatives like the online real-name system and the mandatory disclosure of IP locations have already compromised user privacy, the state strategically frames its interventions as protective. The latest example is the implementation of the Cyber Trusted Identity ("CTID") system, which allegedly aims at enhancing individual privacy protection and combating online fraud but has sparked much controversy. This paper critically examines this tension, arguing that individual privacy in China's digital society is systematically subordinated to broader state governance objectives. Through qualitative legal analysis and in-depth representative case studies of the Didi cybersecurity review and the implemented CTID system, it investigates how privacy is strategically instrumentalized to achieve dominant broader digital governance objectives, such as data sovereignty strategy and digital surveillance in China's Internet society. The study reveals that the vulnerability of privacy is amplified by key factors like the selective enforcement of data security laws to prioritize state data sovereignty, legal ambiguities that legitimize expanded state oversight, and the deployment of centralized technological tools like the CTID, which solidifies state control over citizens' online activities.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.101 PDF on KoreaScienceCyber IDdigital governancedigital lawdigital societydigital surveillance
Research Article · pp. 121-135
Chinese Online Views of Sweden as a Bastion of the 'White Left'Kristy Bryant, Ralph Schroder, Jason Chau
The escalating tension between China and the West is evident in online forums where Chinese netizens criticize the US and the West, attributing Western decline to the "white left", or baizuo (白左), which is a derogatory Chinese term used against progressives and their allegedly excessively tolerant views on social issues. This wave of online ultranationalism gained momentum following the 2015 European migrant crisis and Donald Trump's election in 2016. While the US-China antagonism is well-known, Chinese netizens have also targeted Sweden as a bastion of the "white left" since Sweden is traditionally regarded as a model of progressive policies. By focusing on Chinese perceptions of Sweden, this study contributes to understanding the broader phenomenon of online anti-Westernism. The paper examines how major Chinese platforms such as Weibo, Toutiao, Douyin, and Zhihu, alongside official government media sources, shape online discourse about Sweden. Through an examination of the interplay between digital platforms and political messaging, our paper highlights how these media platforms facilitate the circulation of nationalist rhetoric, contributing to broader populist currents evident not just within China but also in Sweden. While the narrative of Western decline and disorder may be exaggerated and distorted, our findings demonstrate that it legitimizes China's rise and the purported superiority of its civilization. Although such discourse may reveal more about Chinese perceptions than Swedish realities, this paper argues that such narratives reflect not only China's increasingly nationalistic worldview but also its growing confidence in its model of governance as an alternative to the liberal Western model. We situate these perceptions within broader shifts in China's and the West's global roles, arguing that they reflect a rising bottom-up populism with implications for geopolitics.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.121 PDF on KoreaScienceSwedenChinasocial mediaanti-Westernismgeopolitics
Research Article · pp. 136-162
Crafting National Image via Video Games' Fictional Universes and Implications for Digital Diplomacy: Portrayal and Perception of China and Japan through 'Reassembling' and 'Reterritorialization' of Cultural and Natural Heritage in Genshin ImpactEriks Varpahovskis, Anastasiia Borisenko
Prominent video games such as Genshin Impact have been increasingly recognized as instrumental vectors for the diffusion of information, possessing the capacity to shape attitudes and behaviors across diverse life spheres. This study employs a bifurcated methodological approach involving primary and secondary data: firstly, a functional ludostylistic analysis of the game's semiotic structures, and secondly, a series of in-depth qualitative interviews. The initial analytical phase elucidates the distinctive semantic characteristics of the game's fictional universes that establish linkages to China and Japan. Subsequently, the second phase through a set of in-depth interviews (n=18) investigates how these fictional-actual correspondences are decoded and internalized by participating gamers. To interpret these phenomena, the study adopts Penix-Tadsen's theoretical constructs of 'reassembling' and 'reterritorialization,' contextualized within frameworks of tangible and intangible natural and cultural heritage. Findings reveal that interviewees consistently identified allegorical references to China and Japan within the game's fictional realms and observed inherent representational biases perpetuated by the game's designers. Nonetheless, such recognition did not culminate in outright rejection of the game or its constructed universes. In conclusion, the study delivers a discussion around that national branding as well as soft power processes that can be effectively activated within virtual environments through the deployment of elaborately crafted fictional universes.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.136 PDF on KoreaSciencefictional universecountry imageplace brandingsoft powerpublic diplomacy
Research Article · pp. 163-183
The backup ways to enjoy unapproved games — An investigation into the methods that allow Chinese gamers to evade governance and purchase unlicensed games in ChinaLifeng Huang
This research focuses on revealing how Chinese gamers evade the governance of local authorities by elaborating on two different methods to introduce unapproved foreign-made video games into the Chinese market without the express permission of local authorities. These methods can be differentiated based on video game media. For the physical media, smuggling foreign-made video games from other markets to the Chinese market is an established way to bring games into the mainland. It relies on specific methods to deliver these products into China, which are illegal to the Chinese authorities. For the digital medium, digital distribution platforms offer a modern and more recently popularized conduit through which local gamers can obtain unapproved games. Yet, when these platforms operate in a grey area, unregulated by Chinese authorities, their status leaves them vulnerable, as these platforms could disappear when new regulations targeting them are suddenly announced. By investigating the methods that enable Chinese gamers to enjoy unapproved foreign-made games from overseas markets, this research aims to enhance understanding of the Chinese gaming industry's ecosystem, market, and community.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.163 PDF on KoreaSciencegaming culturegame policiesgame regulationsconsole gamesforeign games
Research Article · pp. 184-204
The Battlefield in Your Ear: Political Parties' Narratives on Parliamentary Reform or the Expansion of Legislative Power Through PodcastsYi-Lin Tsai
Podcasts have emerged as a significant medium for political communication, particularly as "low-attention media" that blend affective intimacy with multitasking listening practices. This study analyzes how Taiwanese legislators used podcasts during the 2024 controversy over parliamentary reform and legislative power expansion. Drawing on 28 podcast episodes from Huang Kuo-chang and Miao Poya, the research employs a multimethod design that combines Mandarin-language corpus analysis (Corpro) with reflexive use of generative AI (ChatGPT-4o). Findings reveal contrasting rhetorical styles. Huang's discourse emphasizes emotional immediacy, employing colloquial registers, confrontational humor, and moral polarization to mobilize listeners. Miao's discourse exemplifies institutional rhetoric, privileging legalistic terminology, procedural reasoning, and appeals to constitutional norms. Yet the distinction is not absolute: Huang occasionally invoked procedural arguments, while Miao sometimes adopted affective storytelling. These overlaps demonstrate how political actors navigate a rhetorical spectrum rather than a strict binary. Empirically, the study contributes one of the first systematic analyses of podcast-based political discourse in Taiwan, addressing gaps in non-Western digital media research. Methodologically, it illustrates both the potential and the limits of integrating corpus-based tools with generative AI as heuristic supplements to human-led interpretation. The findings underscore how podcasts' affordances reshape the balance between emotional resonance and institutional authority in digital political communication.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.184 PDF on KoreaSciencepodcast politicsTaiwanparliamentary reformcorpus analysislow-attention media
Research Article · pp. 205-227
Shaping Political Stability in Crisis: Taiwan's Digital Response to COVID-19 on Social MediaHsuan-lei Shao
In the digital age, social media has emerged as both a governance tool and a site of political contestation. This study examines how digital platforms shaped public discourse and mediated state-society interaction during the initial phase of Taiwan's COVID-19 response. Drawing on theories of digital governance and political communication, the research analyzes Facebook posts using text mining and time-series methods to detect shifts in public sentiment and policy debates. Five dominant topics were identified: domestic epidemic control, personal preventive measures, global spread updates, regional comparisons with Japan and South Korea, and geopolitical narratives involving China and the United States. The findings show that social media facilitated rapid information dissemination and citizen engagement and reflected and shaped national identity and geopolitical anxieties. This paper contributes to ongoing scholarly debates about the ambivalent role of digital tools in crisis management and democratic resilience. By foregrounding Taiwan, this study illustrates how effective digital strategies can foster public trust, reinforce collective identity, and sustain political stability during emergencies. It also highlights the risks of politicized information flows that may exacerbate polarization or external influence. Beyond the Taiwanese case, the study offers broader implications for Asian democracies confronting similar challenges. It contributes methodologically by integrating computational social science techniques with normative digital governance frameworks. Theoretically, it advances understanding of how state capacity and digital infrastructure jointly shape crisis response in hybrid information environments. Practically, it informs policymakers, platform regulators, and civic actors on designing inclusive, transparent, and adaptive communication strategies.
doi:10.17477/jcea.2025.24.2.205 PDF on KoreaScienceDigital GovernanceSocial MediaCrisis ManagementPolitical StabilityTopic Analysis