Classifying foreign publics: Examining the relationships behavioral experience, symbolic environment, and communication behaviors among key foreign publics

Abstract

AbstractThis study applies Tam and Kim's 2019 taxonomy to alumni data for the Global Korea Scholarship in order to segment key foreign publics and understand their communication behaviors toward South Korea in the context of public diplomacy. In this study, key foreign publics refer to groups of foreign publics who are positioned to impact the public diplomacy goals of a nation. They have a direct behavioral relationship with a foreign host country and maintain communication and relationships with those in their home country. The findings of this study provide empirical results that identify four types of foreign publics, showing that the new segmentation taxonomy of foreign publics by Tam and Kim is applicable in public diplomacy. The results also indicate that each public type acts differently in terms of positive megaphoning, negative megaphoning, and likelihood of recommending of South Korea, further supporting the typology's behavioral descriptions.Related Articles in this Special IssueAyhan, Kadir Jun, and Nancy Snow. 2021. “Introduction to the Special Issue—Global Korea Scholarship: Empirical Evaluation of a non‐Western Scholarship Program from a Public Diplomacy Perspective.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1282–1291. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12440.Hong, Moon Suk, Minjeong Jeon, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “International Scholarship for Social Change? Re‐contextualizing Global Korea Scholarship Alumni's Perceptions of Justice and Diversity in South Korea.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1359–1390. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12435.Tam, Lisa, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “Evaluations of People, Affection, and Recommendation for a Host Country: A Study of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Recipients.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1292–1307. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12438.