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Article published In: Journal of Asian Pacific Communication
Vol. 36:1 (2026) ► pp.23–52

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Historical and Partisan shifts in Korean press representation of feminism (1990–2022)

A keyness analysis and topic modeling study

 | University of Helsinki
 | University of Helsinki
Published online: 21 October 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00117.oh
Abstract
This study examines how feminist issues have been represented in South Korean press discourse from 1990 to 2022, using a corpus of 49,028 articles referencing feminism (peminijeum), gender equality (seong pyeongdeung), and gender discrimination (seong chabyeol), drawn from 54 national, regional, and online news outlets. Employing keyness analysis and structural topic modeling, we trace longitudinal trends and partisan variations in the framing of feminism. The findings reveal a marked lexical shift from gender-specific terms (e.g., housewife, female workforce) to more gender-neutral terms (e.g., youth, people), alongside a thematic transition from structural inequality to gender conflict, controversy, and electoral politics. Liberal outlets tend to emphasize structural sexism and misogyny, whereas conservative outlets frame feminism in relation to misandry and electoral and parliamentary politics. These results underscore the media’s role not only in amplifying feminist visibility but also in reframing feminist discourse through a polarized and depoliticized lens. This study contributes to feminist and Korean media scholarship by documenting the depoliticization of feminist discourse in the Korean press through a large-scale, longitudinal, and ideologically comparative analysis, while highlighting the need for journalistic practices that can foster informed and structurally grounded public engagement with gender issues.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • 1.Feminism and the (Korean) partisan press
  • 2.History of feminism and women’s rights movements in Korea
  • 3.Data and method
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Trends in news articles and keywords
    • 4.2Topic modelling
      • 4.2.1Topic interpretation
        • Sexism in society
        • Feminist politics and policies
        • Feminist arts and culture
        • Feminist arts and culture
        • Gender wars
      • 4.2.2Longitudinal trend
      • 4.2.3Effect of partisanship on topic prevalence
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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