논문 제목: From Imaginative Geographies to Everyday Negotiations: K-Culture and African Students’ Adaptation in Korea(상상 속 지리적 공간에서 일상적인 협상으로: 한국 문화와 한국에 거주하는 아프리카 학생들의 적응 과정)

Abstract

This research examines how Korean popular culture (K-culture) shapes African international students’ adaptation in South Korea. Based on thematic analysis of semi-structured
interviews with 12 African students at Jeonbuk National University, it traces the pathway from pre-arrival “imaginative geographies” formed through K-dramas, K-pop, and social
media to post-arrival negotiations of language, study, and social belonging. Findings show that K-culture operates as a dual-use resource: it motivates education migration and
supports early interaction and informal Korean learning through shared media references and pragmatics, yet it can also generate unrealistic expectations and function as a coping
retreat that delays engagement when students experience stress or exclusion. Adaptation was further constrained by a persistent double-minority position, mutual language anxiety in cross-cultural encounters, and institutional separations that limit sustained contact (e.g., dormitory and lab divides). By specifying the mechanisms through which mediated cultural affinity intersects with local social structures, the study advances acculturation research and qualifies soft-power accounts by showing where cultural attraction meets the practical boundaries of inclusion.

저자: 윤승욱(HK연구교수), 이정성(HK연구교수)