The end of ethnic nationalism? Changing conceptions of national identity and belonging among young S outh K oreans

Historically in S outh K orea, ideas of nation and nationalism have been based upon the ethnic and cultural homogeneity of all K orean people. More recently, there has been an evolution in S outh K orean nationalism that is based on strikingly different notions particularly among young people. This paper argues that a new S outh K orean nationalism is emerging and that it has, what I term, globalised cultural characteristics. These characteristics challenge the role of ethnicity in young people's conception of the S outh K orean nation and its component members. This paper details the evolution of S outh K orea's nationalism and explains its implications for K orean politics and society as well as its comparative significance for other national contexts. It also highlights some elements of this evolving nationalism that demonstrate less cosmopolitan characteristics, such as patriarchy and social class, in determining who can be ‘imagined’ as a member of this changing S outh K orean nation.