Between Eagle and Dragon: Affective Diplomacy in the Korean Press

Emotions shape not only how states act but how they are imagined. This study examines the affective dimensions of South Korean media portrayals of the United States and China from 1992 to 2025, focusing on how emotional tone contributes to the symbolic construction of geopolitical identity. Drawing on theories of affective framing and media agenda-setting, the analysis traces long-term trends in valence and arousal in newspaper coverage. Using a large corpus of newspaper articles and a computational text analysis approach, this study reveals a persistent asymmetry: the United States is portrayed with stable, moderately positive sentiment and low arousal, while portrayals of China have grown increasingly negative and emotionally charged. These divergent trajectories reflect more than episodic events—they signal deeper structural alignments shaped by alliance politics, historical memory, and media ideology. The findings highlight the central role of affect in mediating international perception and sustaining national strategic narratives.