Africa Through the Lens of South Korean Media : How the South Korean Press Views Africa and Sets the Agenda

Certain countries receive more international news coverage than others, and African countries fall in the latter group. Additionally, people’s direct experience with Africa compared to other countries is scarce, so they have to rely on the media to understand the situation of African countries. Therefore, understanding the media’s representation of Africa is vital as media reports affect an individual’s perception, which can influence policy decisions. This study reveals the South Korean media’s reporting trends regarding Africa and examines the factors that influence how Africa is covered in the media. To elucidate the reporting trends and determinants of African coverage, content analysis was conducted through The Chosun Ilbo. Determining which factors influences the report were shown by focusing on the interaction with and relatedness to the home country and the external influence of other countries, especially globally leading and neighbouring countries. The findings indicate that the amount of coverage was small and disproportionate in terms of country and topics being covered. Moreover, it was impacted by external influence; thus, the news value was not independent, and geopolitical factors were a predictor of the news coverage. The study supplements the understanding of the problems in African news coverage by South Korea amid South Korea reinforcing its African relations and contributing to media’s agenda-setting.