Behind the Scenes: EU Images and Perceptions in South Korea

Intensity and acceleration characterise the contemporary dialogue between Europe and South Korea, with the EU–South Korea Free Trade Agreement (signed in 2011) setting the benchmark for relations which are expected to widen and deepen. This chapter hypothesises a set of influencing factors that shape EU images in South Korea based on the analysis of the Korean news media and perceptions among general public opinion towards the EU. These factors are grouped as: (1) those that exist exclusively in Korea; (2) those that are EU-specific; (3) global factors shaped by the international system; and (4) factors that are related to EU–Korea interaction. The dataset is derived from three reputable Korean newspapers (monitored in April 1–June 30, 2015) and a public opinion poll (1238 respondents surveyed in August 2015).