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Who is welcome? South Korean public opinion on North Koreans and other refugees

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2021

Timothy S. Rich Open the ORCID record for Timothy S. Rich [Opens in a new window] ,
Kaitlyn Bison  and
Aleksandra Kozovic
Timothy S. Rich*
Affiliation:
Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
Kaitlyn Bison
Affiliation:
Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
Aleksandra Kozovic
Affiliation:
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois, USA
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: Timothy.rich@wku.edu
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Abstract

What explains South Korean public opposition for refugees and does the public differentiate among groups? Although a sizable literature addresses perceptions of North Korean arrivals, few studies directly compare sentiment for this group to others. Using an original web survey with an embedded experimental design, we find clear greater support for accepting North Korean arrivals compared to both non-ethnic Korean refugees and Muslim refugees. Additional analysis finds clear majorities view Islam as incompatible with Korean values. Our results suggest the challenge of encouraging multiculturalism in the largely homogeneous country.

Keywords

ExperimentMuslimNorth Koreapublic opinionrefugeeSouth Koreasurvey
Type
Research Article
Information
Japanese Journal of Political Science , Volume 22 , Issue 3 , September 2021 , pp. 117 - 129
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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