Dr. Esther Song

Air pollutants allegedly originating from China have become a thorny issue in South Korea. By examining social media data, new reports, and a unique survey data collected in South Korea, this article examines how media reporting on transboundary air pollution issue negatively affects Sino-Korea relations.

Recent polls suggest anti-Chinese sentiment is on the rise in South Korea. Statistical analyses show that such negative feeling is strongly correlated with growing support for alignment with the US. These findings carry key implications for the Yoon administration’s foreign policy orientation.

When asked about general views of China, 81 per cent of South Korean respondents expressed negative or very negative sentiments. That is more than in any of the 56 countries surveyed worldwide. What makes South Koreans so negative about China? And what are the foreign policy implications?

COVID-19 generated significant anti-Chinese sentiment in South Korea. Domestic elite-level narratives regarding China at the pandemic’s onset were highly polarized: conservative parties advocated border shutdowns, emphasizing China as originating the virus, while progressive parties warned that this would incite xenophobia. Did these narratives shape anti-Chinese sentiment, and what are their foreign policy effects?

Air pollutants allegedly originating from China have become a thorny issue in South Korea. By examining social media data, new reports, and a unique survey data collected in South Korea, this article examines how media reporting on transboundary air pollution issue negatively affects Sino-Korea relations.

Recent polls suggest anti-Chinese sentiment is on the rise in South Korea. Statistical analyses show that such negative feeling is strongly correlated with growing support for alignment with the US. These findings carry key implications for the Yoon administration’s foreign policy orientation.

When asked about general views of China, 81 per cent of South Korean respondents expressed negative or very negative sentiments. That is more than in any of the 56 countries surveyed worldwide. What makes South Koreans so negative about China? And what are the foreign policy implications?