A Research Trends Analysis of DMZ Tourism: Using the Semantic Network Analysis

The purpose of this study is to apply semantic network analysis to identify tourism research trends in DMZ and border areas by time according to changes in inter-Korean relations. From 1990 to March 2020, semantic network analysis was conducted for total of 67 domestic academic papers related to DMZ tourism. As results, the research trend from 1990-1999 was the beginning of DMZ tourism research for DMZ as a symbol of the Cold War, and from 2000 to 2007, DMZ tourism research was changed from physical to social perspectives. From 2008 to 2016, the theme of DMZ tourism research was found to be shifting from supply-oriented to demand-oriented, and from 2017 to now, it was revealed that DMZ tourist behavior research was further underlined. In conclusion, the DMZ has undergone various political, physical and social changes with the value of its historical, cultural, war and ecological heritage, and such changes have been reflected as tourism research trends in each of the four different eras. It is expected to present the direction of future research topics and expand the understanding of the multi-disciplinary studies of DMZ tourism research.