This study is a media research about traditional markets which is one of the topics of media coverage that is constantly being reported. The study firstly aims to observe the processes of traditional markets-the center of ordinary people's economy-whi...
This study is a media research about traditional markets which is one of the topics of media coverage that is constantly being reported. The study firstly aims to observe the processes of traditional markets-the center of ordinary people's economy-which change depending on various conditions such as overall social phenomena, economic situations, and policies and secondly strives to make a close inquiry into their socio-cultural implications. In order to achieve these purposes, Professor Baek Seon-ki's Discourse Structure Analysis (DSA) and Roland Barthes' Myth Analysis based on category, excessive words, and premise analysis which are semiotic approaches have been used to analyze approximately 1,000 articles about traditional markets from <The Chosun Ilbo> and <The Hankyoreh Shinmun> which have been published from January 1990 to December 2014.
The time coverage of traditional markets coincide with the flow of policy projects. <The Chosun Ilbo>, on the economic base of the neutral side claiming that it is not a must to protect traditional markets, emphasizes the aspect of economic effects. On the contrary, <The Hankyoreh Shinmun> clings to its position that traditional markets must be protected because it is the space of the common people. Also, there are three subtle differences in the discourse on traditional markets depending on media's tendencies. <The Chosun Ilbo> insists that socio-economic conditions and the government's policy is the axis, whereas <The Hankyoreh Shinmun> sets the policy direction in the perspective of the general population that it is a room for the members of the society.
In addition, respective symbols-category, excessive words, and premise of semiotic analysis-appear based on the premise that traditional markets are objects of protection since they are ordinary citizens' space. The markets need assistance due to a difficult situation and their unique cultures such as free gifts, fragrance, and jeong appear as a common category. However, while <The Chosun Ilbo> stresses that the markets need to be transformed from a deteriorated space with a negative image into a new space to keep pace with latest trends, <The Hankyoreh Shinmun> has the view that the markets need protection as a 'people friendly' space. When it comes to expressing the difficult economic situations of traditional markets, <The Chosun Ilbo> uses excessive words based on facilities and <The Hankyoreh Shinmun> on merchants' hardships. There is a common premise that traditional markets need support in the difficulties they face from limited space. <The Chosun Ilbo> assumes that change is necessary for the markets because they are economically important and <The Hankyoreh Shinmun> has the premise that the unique cultures of the markets will demonstrate its merit and it is a positive place of hope and challenge.
The discourse on traditional markets appears in three phases: formation period(traditional markets are in a crisis due to an economic downturn), expansion period(socio-economic object of protection), and settlement period(regeneration space). The flow of the discourse differs in the sense that <The Chosun Ilbo> is centered on the economy while the members of <The Hankyoreh Shinmun> are mostly ordinary citizens.
In a bid to understand myth and sociocultural implications based on these respective analysis results, myth analysis was implemented. As a result, there were common findings that commercialism is a connotative meaning of plutocratic myth and monopolism is an implied meaning of prerogative myth. <The Chosun Ilbo> had exclusivism as an implicit meaning of domination myth and supremacy of conglomerates as an implied meaning of superiority myth, whereas <The Hankyoreh Shinmun> had post-authoritarianism as a implication of rationality myth. Consequentially, these sociocultural implications put emphasis on this society's ruling ideology and capital ideology and restructures and symbolizes the reality of traditional markets which are a major place and foundation of economic activities.