Mega-Events and Conflict: The Case of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the conflict structure in the 2018 mega-event of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Conflict theory was used as the main theoretical underpinning of the mega-event. A survey was conducted to collect the data. The participants were individuals over the age of 20 who resided in Gangwon Province. This study analyzed the data using confirmatory factor analysis, a correlation matrix, and path analysis. The results suggested that conflicts were caused by negative perceptions of the impact of the mega-event. In addition, the conflicts could be classified into conflicts of interest and conflicts of values. This research demonstrated that the conflicts influenced residents’ negative attitudes. In particular, the strongest influences were exerted by environmental perceptions and conflicts of values. These results can be regarded as baseline data when staging events or establishing related policies, as they present specific information about the causes, types, and outcomes of conflicts.

KEYWORDS:

• Mega-event
• conflict structure
• conflict of interest
• conflict of value
• attitude of local residents