GOVERNMENT-CIVIC GROUP CONFLICTS AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGY: A TEXT ANALYSIS OF TV DEBATES ON KOREA'S IMPORT OF U.S. BEEF

This study analyzes messages from Korean TV debates on the conflict over U.S. beef imports and the process of negotiations over the imports in 2008. The authors have conducted a con-tent analysis and a semantic network analysis by using KrKwic and CONCOR. The data was drawn from nine TV debates aired by three major TV networks in Korea (MBC, KBS, and SBS) from 27 April 27 2008 to 6 July 2008. The results indicate substantial differences in the semantic structure between arguments by the government and those by civic groups. We also investigated the relationship between the terms frequently used by both sides (i.e., the gov-ernment and civic groups), and the terms used exclusively by one side. There was a gradual increase in the number of terms frequently used by both sides over time, from the formation of the conflict to its escalation to its resolution. The results indicate the possibility of general agreement in conflict situations. Keywords Conflict, Civic Group, Government, Semantic Network, TV Debate, U.S. Beef Import Korea’s candlelight vigil against the import of U.S. beef in 2008 can be viewed as a new so-cial conflict arising from a failure to adequately adopt new communication strategies based on advanced digital technologies in the information age. The government and domestic stakeholders are often at odds over issues related to international trade in the global era. In other words, when administering state affairs or engaging in general business, people are in-creasingly likely to encounter situations similar to that involving government-civic group conflicts over U.S. beef imports in 2008. Therefore, it is necessary to understand and analyze the process by which the 2008 candlelight vigil formed public opinion and continued to en-courage the general public to participate in the rallies, and the reason why the Korean gov-ernment failed to implement and promote appropriate policies to adequately address the widespread fear of mad cow disease. Although the candlelight vigil was not able to resolve the conflict, it provides a typical example of conflicts between the public and private sectors