As has been discussed throughout this series of articles that has been looking at the level of Korea literacy that exist among the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of Korea literacy that exist among students who are undertaking study at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question is located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system), the history of the various relationships that exist between Australia and the Republic of Korea (whether the relationship in question was diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people) had been an important variable when it comes to the level of Korea literacy that exist among, not only among members of the general Australian populace, but also the level of Korea literacy that exist among students who are undertaking study at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system, and in particular educational institutions that are located at the tertiary level of the Australian education system. However, and this was also discussed in the previous article of this series that looked at the history of the teaching, as well as the study, of Korea and the Korean language at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system (and in particular at educational institutions that are located at the tertiary level of the Australian education system), in recent years, there had been a gradual decline in the number of academic programs that specialise in the teaching, as well as the study, of Korea and the Korean language at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system; and, when combined with the decline in the number of academic programs that specialise in the teaching, as well as the study, of Asia and Asian languages other than English (and in particular the four Asian languages other than English that were identified as ‘priority’ Asian languages other than English in the Australia in the Asian Century white paper that was released by the Australian Federal Government in October 2012) at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system (and in particular educational institutions that are located at the tertiary level of the Australian education system) has had negative ramifications for the level of Korea literacy, as well as the level of Asia literacy that exist among, not only among students who are undertaking study at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system (and in particular educational institutions that are located at the tertiary level of the Australian education system). And while governments at all three levels of the Australian political system has been placing a greater emphasis on the teaching, as well as the study, of Asia and Asian languages other than English (including the teaching, and the study, of Korea and the Korean language) at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system, and in particular educational institutions that are located at the tertiary level of the Australian education system, in recent years, there had been a greater emphasis being paid to the teaching, as well as the study, of subjects that are in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields of study at the expense of subjects that are in the HASS (Humanities, the Arts and Social Sciences) fields of study, and this can have negative repercussions for, not only the level of Asia literacy that exist among the general Australian populace, but also the various relationships that Australia has with Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories (and in particular the various relationships that Australia has with the Republic of Korea, which will be discussed in more detail in the next article in this series of articles, that will look at the various relationships that Australia has with the Republic of Korea, with a particular emphasis being paid to the diplomatic relationships that exist between Australia and the Republic of Korea).

When it comes to the development of Korea literacy that exist among the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of Korea literacy that exist among students who are undertaking study at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system (and especially the level of Korea literacy that exist among students who are undertaking study at educational institutions that are located at the tertiary level of the Australian education system), while the teaching, as well as the study, of Korea and the Korean language, at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system can play a role in developing a high level of Korea literacy among the general Australian populace, it is not the only sector within the wider Australian society that can influence the level of Korea literacy that exist among the general Australian populace is the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of news and current affairs emanating from the Republic of Korea in large sections of the Australian media (whether the media outlet in question is part of the so-called “mainstream media” or is part of the so-called “alternative media”), which has seen a stark decline in recent years, and this reduction in the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of news and current affairs events emanating from the Republic of Korea (and especially the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of news and current affairs events emanating from Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories in general) has had negative repercussions for the level of Asia literacy that exist amogn the general Australian populace – as well as the level of Korea literacy that exist among the general Australian populace – and this in turn has had negative ramifications for how the general Australian populace views Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories, and in particular how members of the general Australian populace views the Republic of Korea and the various relationships that Australia has with the Republic of Korea, whether the relationship in question is diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people.

It has often been argued that the media (whether the media outlet in question is part of the so-called “mainstream media” or is part of the so-called “alternative media”) serves as the people’s window on the outside world (a role that became more important during the coronavirus pandemic when much of the world was in lockdown in order to prevent the spread of the virus), and more often than not, the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events emanating from the world’s constituent nation-states and territories can have consequences for how the people of the world views the constituent nation-states and territories of the world, and this is especially the case when it comes to how the general Australian populace views Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories, and in particular how the general Australian populace view the various relationships that Australia has with Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories (again, whether the relationship in question is diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people), and this is true when it comes to the various relationships that Australia has with the Republic of Korea. When it comes to the image that the general Australian populace has of the Republic of Korea, as well as the various relationships that Australia has with the Republic of Korea, an argument could be made that the image of the Republic of Korea that is projected to the general Australian populace through the Australian media (whether the media outlet in question is part of the so-called “mainstream media” or is part of the so-called “alternative media”) can have ramifications for how the general Australian populace, not only views the Republic of Korea, but also how the general Australian populace views the various relationships that Australia has with the Republic of Korea, and in particular the diplomatic relationship that Australia has with the Republic of Korea, which will be looked at in the next article in this series of articles that will be looking at the various relationships, and in particular the diplomatic relationship, that exist between Australia and the Republic of Korea.

When it comes to the level, depth, and quality, of the coverage of key news and current affairs events emanating from the Korean Peninsula (whether the coverage of the key news and current affairs events are emanating from the Republic of Korea or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) in large sections of the Australian media (whether the media outlet in question is part of the so-called “mainstream media” or is part of the so-called “alternative media”), there is often a large gulf of difference when it comes to the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events emanating from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea when compared to the level, depth, and quality of key news and current affairs events emanating from the Republic of Korea, and an argument could be made that this difference when it comes to the level, depth, and quality, of the coverage of key news and current affairs events emanating from the two sides of the 38th Parallel that divides the Korean Peninsula can have ramifications for, not only how the general Australian populace view the Republic of Korea (and, more generally, the Korean Peninsula as a whole), but also how the general Australian populace views the various relationships that Australia has with the Republic of Korea, which is widely considered to be one of the most important relationships that Australia has with Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories. When it comes to the media in Australia, both the so-called “mainstream media” as well as the so-called “alternative media” plays an important role when it comes to the coverage of key news and current affairs events emanating from the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and that the coverage of key news and current affairs events from this part of the world plays an important role in helping the general Australian populace better understand the Korean Peninsula.

As will be discussed throughout the course of this fourth article in this series of articles on Korea literacy in Australia, I will be looking at the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events emanating from the Republic of Korea (and, to a lesser extent, the level, depth, and quality of key news and current affairs events emanating from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), and the impact that this has had on, not only the level of Korea literacy that exist among students who are undertaking study at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question is located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system, but also the level of Korea literacy that exist among the general Australian populace as a whole. In this fourth article in the series, I will first look at the coverage of key news and current affairs events emanating from the Korean Peninsula (whether it is emanating from the Republic of Korea or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) in large sections of the Australian media (whether the media outlet in question is part of the so-called “mainstream media” or is part of the so-called “alternative media”). In the second section of the article, I will be looking at the coverage of elections that are held in the Republic of Korea in large sections of the Australian media, and how the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of elections in the Republic of Korea in large sections of the Australian media can influence the image that the general Australian populace has of the Republic of Korea. The final section of the article will have a look at the level, depth, and quality of key news and current affairs events emanating from the Republic of Korea in large sections of the Australian media, and juxtapose this with the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of news and current affairs events emanating from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in large sections of the Australian media.

If you wish to read the entire article, you can read it at bhiskins.wordpress.com/2025/09…