Introduction to the special issue—Global Korea Scholarship: Empirical evaluation of a non-Western scholarship program from a public diplomacy perspective

Most governments offer scholarships for international students as part of their public diplomacy toolbox. However, empirical assessments of these programs are relatively rare. The limited number of existing works often concern Western countries, while international student mobility programs in non-Western countries remain insufficiently researched. This special issue addresses these two gaps in the literature. All the articles utilize a unique and rich dataset of the perspectives of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) recipients about South Korea. This dataset consists of four surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019 of GKS students, alumni, and pre-arrival inbound students. There are over 200 variables, most of which are about GKS recipients’ cognitive and affective evaluation of Korea, their Korea-related behaviors, their perceptions of how they are treated by Koreans, their satisfaction with studying in Korea, satisfaction with university and language school, and integration into Korean society. The articles look at various aspects of GKS as a public diplomacy tool, including the determinants of positive recommendations toward Korea as a study or tourism destination, the relationship between behavioral experience, symbolic environment and communication behaviors, determinants of students’ intentions to stay in the host country, gendered dynamics of the scholarship, students’ perspectives on justice based on their experiences in, and beliefs about, the host country, and the determinants of students’ satisfaction with life in Korea. Related Articles in this Special Issue: Istad, Felicia, Eriks Varpahovskis, Ekra Miezan, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “Global Korea Scholarship Students: Intention to Stay in the Host Country to Work or Study after Graduation.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1323–1342. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12436. Jon, Jae-Eun, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “Satisfied or Dissatisfied: The Determinants of Global Korea Scholarship Recipients’ Satisfaction with Life in Korea.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1391–1414. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12437. Tam, Lisa, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “Evaluations of People, Affection, and Recommendation for a Host Country: A Study of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Recipients.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1292–1307. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12438.