MEDIA OR PERSONAL RELATIONS? EXPLORING MEDIA RELATIONS DIMENSIONS IN SOUTH KOREA

MEDIA OR PERSONAL RELATIONS?

EXPLORING MEDIA RELATIONS

DIMENSIONS IN SOUTH KOREA

By Samsup Jo and Yungwook Kim

This study examined the dimensions of media relations and their impact

on how public relations is valued. The results shoived that three factors

determine media relations in South Korea. The first principal factor

demonstrated existence of informal relationships in media relations. The

results also affirm the personal influence model of public relations.

Establishing personal relationships with journalists is a critical task

amon^ public relations practitioners. If public relations practitioners do

not possess personal retationshipswith appropriate journalists, they often

have difficulty getting media coverage. In particular, personal relation￾ships play a critical role in the event of minimizing unfavorable media

coverage.

Global competition, the globalization of corporate operations, and

the complexity of social, cultural, and political systems across countries

have created a greater need for international public relations theories and

frameworks,' Although the professional development of international

public relations hasbegun to address these needs, scholarship in the field

has yet to mature.^

Several international studies have identified the personal influ￾ence model as an additional dimension of Grunig's four models.-' Yet,

it is still unclear why certain public relations practices are more

common in international settings. International public relations

researchers need to determine the status of the public relations profes￾sion in their respective countries, as well as explore the linkages between

public relations and the environmental variables relevant to their re￾gions, including culture, media environment, political system, level of

activism, and level of economic development. Thus, certain questions

need to be addressed.

Why is public relations perceived only as media relations in a given

country? Why does the personal influence model have more explanatory

power in specific international settings? To answer these questions, this

study focuses on prevailing practices in media relations, the most domi￾nant public relations practice in SouthKorea, and analyzes its underlying

factors from a cultural and societal framework. Such knowledge will

further expand our understanding of the unique media relations compo￾I&MC Quarterly

Vol.SlNo.2

Summer 2004

292-306

Samsup jo is an assistant professor in the- Difmrtment of Public RetatiotJS & Advertising,

Sooknn/ung Women's Universiti/. Seoul. Korea: and Yungwook Kim is an assistant

professor in the Sehool of Communication, Ewha Woman's University, Seoul, Korea.

292 i^AUSM & MASS CoMMUNKAnoN QUAKTEJUX