Understanding Gambling Discourse in Modern Period of South Korea: Content Analysis on Newspaper Articles from 1896 to 1920

Session Title

Session 1-2-E: Media Relations

Presentation Type

Event

Location

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Start Date

28-5-2019 11:00 AM

End Date

28-5-2019 12:25 PM

Disciplines

Asian History | Asian Studies | Journalism Studies | Korean Studies | Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies | Social History

Abstract

ABSTRACT

In South Korea, the government-owned gambling industry has thrived from the first implementation of Olympic Support Lottery in 1947 to the latest sanctioned Bull Fighting in 2011. Before the development of contemporary gaming business, it has been estimated that 6,400 types of traditional games existed. From the late 1800s to early 1900s, gambling was prevalent among citizens with those private games. According to the content analysis of newspaper articles, collected via National Library of Korea database, the first newspaper article on gambling was published in 1896. Gambling activity was outlawed in the period of Great Korean Empire and Japanese colonization. Nevertheless, there were not only Koreans but also Chinese who gambled at their home or at illicit gambling venues, and it was reported as a severe social problem. Gamblers were often described as criminals and received moral opprobrium. When gamblers were detected by the police, they were fined or inflicted corporal punishment. Sometimes national policy or attitudes towards gambling of other countries were published as articles. This presentation will address the main issues and perspectives on gambling in modern period of South Korea via content analysis on newspaper articles from 1896 to 1920.

Implication

The research outcomes will provide: 1) interesting yet unknown information about gambling in modern Korea including the types of gambling, the way and the degree of punishment, etc., 2) useful evidence to understand characteristics of gambling discourse at the macro-level, which was widespread before contemporary responsible gambling discourse in Korea.

Keywords

gambling discourse, history of gambling, newpaper, crime, immoral, punishment

Author Bios

Hye-mi, Hong is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Social Welfare at Sungkyunkwan University. She worked as a staff member at Kangwon Land Addiction Care Center until February, 2018. Her research focus is problem gambling, responsible gambling strategies, harm minimization measures, prevention programs, gambling with new technology and discourse analysis on gambling issues. She recently published an article reviewing self exclusion programs of U.S. and Canada.

Young-ho, Lee, Ph.D in Chinese Language and Literature, is a professor of Sungkyunkwan University, Academy of East Asian Studies. His main research interest is Confucianism in East Asia, focusing on the Analects (the Analects of Confucius) in particular. His research area includes philosophy of the I Ching in East Asia, cultural history in modern period of Korea and perception transition of modern Confucian. He is interested in gambling issues not only in modern period of Korea but also in the Chosun Dynasty.

Funding Sources

No funding was provided for this research.

Competing Interests

The authors have no competing interests to disclose.

Share

COinS
 
May 28th, 11:00 AM May 28th, 12:25 PM

Understanding Gambling Discourse in Modern Period of South Korea: Content Analysis on Newspaper Articles from 1896 to 1920

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

ABSTRACT

In South Korea, the government-owned gambling industry has thrived from the first implementation of Olympic Support Lottery in 1947 to the latest sanctioned Bull Fighting in 2011. Before the development of contemporary gaming business, it has been estimated that 6,400 types of traditional games existed. From the late 1800s to early 1900s, gambling was prevalent among citizens with those private games. According to the content analysis of newspaper articles, collected via National Library of Korea database, the first newspaper article on gambling was published in 1896. Gambling activity was outlawed in the period of Great Korean Empire and Japanese colonization. Nevertheless, there were not only Koreans but also Chinese who gambled at their home or at illicit gambling venues, and it was reported as a severe social problem. Gamblers were often described as criminals and received moral opprobrium. When gamblers were detected by the police, they were fined or inflicted corporal punishment. Sometimes national policy or attitudes towards gambling of other countries were published as articles. This presentation will address the main issues and perspectives on gambling in modern period of South Korea via content analysis on newspaper articles from 1896 to 1920.

Implication

The research outcomes will provide: 1) interesting yet unknown information about gambling in modern Korea including the types of gambling, the way and the degree of punishment, etc., 2) useful evidence to understand characteristics of gambling discourse at the macro-level, which was widespread before contemporary responsible gambling discourse in Korea.