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TITLE: Cosmopolitanism and Xenophobia in Media Discourse on Linguistic Landscapes in Ethnic Enclaves in South Korea

SPEAKER: Robert J. Fouser

 

DATE: Thursday. June 25, 2026. 6:00PM

VENUE:  Grand Conference Room (#310), of the Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University

The June 2026 session of the “Seoul Colloquium in Korean Studies” organized by the Seoul Center of the EFEO will be held as an in-person event on Thursday June 25th in the Grand Conference Room (Room number 310), of the Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University, beginning at 6:00 pm.

All who wish to participate must register in advance by sending an email to efeoseoul@hotmail.com

 

SUMMARY:

In this talk, I will investigate media discourse on linguistic landscapes in ethnic enclaves in South Korean cities. Since the mid-1990s, South Korea shifted from a net emigration to net immigration country as the number of migrant workers increased and Korean emigration slowed. Ethnic enclaves with commercial establishments catering to migrants began to appear, which changed the linguistic landscape from Korean to multilingual mix. Most ethnic enclaves are multilingual with at least several languages commonly used along with Korean, whereas enclaves dominated by one group, the most common being ethnic Koreans from China, use one language. This distinction is important because multiethnic and multilingual enclaves where Korean is also commonly used are often presented in the media as cosmopolitan amenities that help the city become more “global” (Fedorova & Nam, 2023). By contrast, ethnic enclaves dominated by one group are seen as dangerous spaces that threaten social cohesion (Tan, 2020).

The focus on media discourse draws on the theoretical approach of Lim (2021), who investigated national discourse multiculturalism and institutional change in South Korea since the 1980s. Using public newspaper databases, I will analyze articles reporting on two large urban ethnic enclaves, Taerim-dong in Seoul and downtown Kimhae, from the 1980s to the present. The articles will be organized by subject and categorized according to positive or negative stance toward the changing linguistic landscape. The newspaper articles will then be analyzed qualitatively to discern relationships between subject and stance over time. Change in stance will be discussed in the context of developments in national policy, social attitudes, and changes in the migrant population over time. The discussion will offer insight into how changes in the linguistic landscape in a society long defined by monolingual norms fit within the evolving discourse of multiculturalism.

BIO:

Robert J. Fouser holds a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from Trinity College Dublin and has taught taught at universities in South Korea and Japan, most recently at Seoul National University. He has written seven books in Korean and is currently an independent scholar based in Providence, Rhode Island.”

 

DIRECTION TO VENUE: Grand Conference Room (#310), of the Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University

Take Exit 1 from Korea University subway station, turn right onto the footpath leading up onto the campus. Walk straight up the road past LG Posco Hall, the Business School and Main Library (all on the right hand side). The Asiatic Research Institute (ARI) is the building next after the Main Library (Campus Map)

After 6 PM the front door of the Institute may be locked. If the door is locked, phone to the EFEO Seoul Center (02-921-4526) so that we can let you into the building.