Analysis of Discourse and Perceptions on South Korea's Defense Industry : Focusing on Big Data from Major Foreign Portals

This study aims to empirically analyze the discourse and discussions in the international community regarding South Korea’s defense industry in response to the rapidly changing global landscape, including the Russia-Ukraine war, and shifts in the defense industry market. The analysis leverages big data from foreign portals to draw relevant implications, recognizing that the discourse and perceptions held by the international community play a crucial role in defense industry exports. To achieve this objective, the study collected and analyzed 2,684 records related to South Korea’s defense industry from the past six years (April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2024) using text mining and social network analysis. The findings highlight key features of the discourse and perceptions of South Korea’s defense industry, as reflected in major foreign portals, including close associations with European countries and significant interest in events such as the ADEX (International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition). Based on these findings, the study suggested a future direction for the development of South Korea’s defense industry, including the proactive promotion of government-led defense industry export policies and the establishment and implementation of systematic defense industry marketing strategies through the active utilization of various domestic and international defense exhibitions.