Governmentality Study of Migrants: Media Representations of Korean Proficiency Testing

초록

This study explores the role of Korean language proficiency testing as a significant technology of governmentality in governing migrants in South Korea, with a specific emphasis on media discourse. Utilizing Michel Foucault's concept of governmentality and Fairclough's critical discourse analysis, the research examines newspaper articles published during the administrations of Kim Dae-jung and Park Geun-hye. Rather than viewing language testing as a neutral means of communication or integration, the analysis illustrates how Korean language proficiency and testing are discursively framed as tools for the selection, classification, and regulation of migrant populations. Media discourse plays a vital role in this process by translating policy rationales into everyday understanding, characterizing language deficiency as a social risk, and presenting testing as an objective and necessary solution. The findings indicate a historical evolution in language governmentality—from being perceived as symbolic cultural capital and a national resource, to becoming viewed as human capital and a basis for incentive-driven self-regulation, and ultimately shifting to a risk-management approach that preemptively excludes unqualified migrants. This study contends that media discourse is not a passive conduit for policy transmission; rather, it serves as an active arena where language testing is normalized as a legitimate and essential aspect of migrant governance. By highlighting the mediating role of media, this research contributes to critical language policy studies and enhances the understanding of language testing within the broader context of neoliberal and biopolitical governance.

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