An archaeology of korean sport for international development discourse in Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT In April 1991, South Korea began its full-fledged participation in international development with the establishment of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Since then, KOICA has implemented a variety of overseas sport volunteer programmes, Taekwondo-specific programmes and sport aid projects in the Global South. Our analysis aims to identify the rules of Korean-specific discursive formations framing these KOICA programmes, which generate particular iterations of the Korean sport for international development discourse. Six different sets of KOICA documents published from 1991 to 2017 were collected and analysed using Foucault’s (1972) archaeology and its categories of rules of formation of objects, enunciative modalities, concepts and strategies. The findings reveal that elite sport and elite athletes in recipient countries were visible as objects. Korean instructors were given the subject position of legitimate expert through the formation of enunciative modalities. Two concepts, input-oriented volunteering and output-oriented volunteering, incorporated values of compassion and a spirit of sharing and respect along with personal achievement. Lastly, the transfer of Korean (sport) development knowledge and experience emerged as sport-oriented and non-sport-oriented strategies. The conclusion offers critical reflections that distinguish Korean sport for international development from Western SFD through a focus on the relationship between former colonies, and on Taekwondo as a symbolic national tool for SFD.