The politics of Chinese tourism in South Korea: political economy, state-society relations, and international security

Abstract

The politics of tourism has not been studied in depth, even though many recognize the growing importance of political factors in tourism economy. As China has risen, it has used its massive volume of outbound tourists and its tourist industry for political gain, with both positive and negative consequences for partner countries. And the recipient countries’ state and society respond to these external impacts from China in various ways. In recent years, this development has alarmed students of tourism and politics in the Pacific Basin. In this context, the case of Chinese tourism in South Korea throughout 2010s sheds light on many aspects of this new and controversial phenomenon and ensuing interactions of various actors at both domestic and international political arenas.

Keywords:

• politics of tourism
• China
• South Korea
• political economy
• state-society relations
• international security
• global China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

Notes

1 Fieldwork was conducted by the author’s onsite visits to libraries, government institutions, local media, research institutes, real estate agencies, tourist agencies, tourist attraction spots, duty-free shops, hotels, resorts, and local communities during the trips to Jeju 11 times (4 times in 2015, 2 times in 2016, 2 times in 2017; 3 times in 2018; 2 times in 2019o) as well as to Seoul 11 times (1 times in 2015, 3 times in 2016, 2 times in 2017; 3 times in 2018; 2 times in 2019).

2 From a media interview (CBS News Show, March 16, 2017; http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/4750650, accessed on August 10, 2018).

3 For more comprehensive factors, see Timothy and Kim (2015).

4 ‘New Southbound Policy: An Introduction (2017.02.28)’ From Office of Trade Negotiations Executive Yuan - New Southbound Policy 2017-03-01 (https://nspp.mofa.gov.tw/nsppe/news.php?post=112894&unit=376)