From campus to society

How university newspapers and mainstream news frame international students in South Korea

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/1e3b3175

Keywords:

international students, media discourse, framing, social-ecological systems, sentiment analysis, topic modeling, South Korea

Abstract

This study analyzes media discourse on international students in South Korea, comparing university newspapers (n=3,761) and mainstream news (n=38,167) between 1990 and 2025, using topic modeling and sentiment analysis. University news frames international students as integrated community members, emphasizing support, festivals, and cultural exchange with positive tones. Mainstream news portrays them as external risks involving geopolitics, crime, and disease, reflecting negative sentiment. While coverage by institutional media has decreased over time, coverage by mainstream media has increased, leading to heightened public interest in international students. Drawing on framing theory, the analysis shows how mainstream news outlets construct symbolic boundaries, positioning students as outsiders during crises. From a social-ecological perspective, these portrayals operate across interpersonal and institutional layers to shape policy and lived experiences. The findings suggest that universities, policymakers, and the media must coordinate strategies to highlight international students’ contributions to demographic and economic diversity, challenging the negative framing that marginalizes this population and exacerbates social exclusion.

Author Biographies

  • Chaeeun Han, Penn State University

    Chaeeun Han is a Ph.D. candidate in Informatics at Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on data science and optimization, particularly in developing robust and efficient learning frameworks. Her work applies data- and model-optimization methods to adversarial machine learning and leverages network science to detect extreme cases in adversarial machine learning and computational social science.

  • Hyojong Song, Korea University

    Hyojong Song is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Korea University, Seoul, South Korea. His research focuses on testing theories of crime and delinquency, deviant behavior in cyberspace, and environmental justice. He is particularly interested in identifying criminogenic mechanisms by examining the interplay between individual propensities and environmental factors. His work further explores how technological progress transforms contemporary crime patterns and victim-offender characteristics.

  • Juyoung Song, Penn State University, Schuylkill

    Juyoung Song is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Pennsylvania State University. Her research integrates criminology, big data, and machine learning, examining cyberbullying, juvenile delinquency, sexting, and crime prediction. Her work applies computational methods to understand youth risk factors and social behavior. She also leads community-engaged, federally funded projects, including VR-based cyberbullying prevention training.

  • Sou Hyun Jang, Korea University

    Sou Hyun Jang, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Korea University. Her research focuses on the intersections of migration, life course transitions, and health disparities, with particular attention to international students and transnational communities. She employs mixed methods, including qualitative interviews, survey analysis, and computational approaches, to explore how individuals navigate cultural expectations and institutional environments in shaping their well-being and belonging.

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2026-08-02

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Vol. 16 No. 17 (2026): Journal of International Students

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Copyright (c) 2026 Chaeeun Han, Hyojong Song, Juyoung Song, Sou Hyun Jang

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Han, C., Song, H., Song, J., & Jang, S. H. (2026). From campus to society: How university newspapers and mainstream news frame international students in South Korea. Journal of International Students, 16(17), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.32674/1e3b3175