Research & Selected Working Papers

• Local demographic contexts, fiscal concerns, and anti-immigration attitudes: Evidence from South Korea (with Boyoon Lee of Queen's University )

How does exposure to an elderly population shape natives' attitudes toward immigration? How does concern about increased fiscal pressure influence immigration attitudes? Using both observational data and a survey experiment, this study argues that exposure to an elderly population in a given area heightens perceptions of fiscal threat, which in turn spills over into anti-immigration attitudes. 

• Population Aging and Support for the Welfare State in South Korea and Japan 

This project examines whether increasing immigration and elderly populations at the local level lead to greater support for redistribution. The proposed hypothesis suggests that the context of population aging shapes perceived levels of resource competition among natives and decreases their economic security, which, in turn, heightens support for redistribution. I test this hypothesis using survey experiments conducted in South Korea and Japan. 

• Does party polarization still hold under a significant threat to democracy?  (with Youngik Lee of KAIST )

Recent studies have shown a significant increase in party polarization, particularly among East Asian democracies. How do voters and the media react to substantial threats to democratic norms? Using the self-coup attempt in South Korea in 2024 as a case study, we examine levels of party polarization before and after the event by analyzing online news, YouTube data, and YouTube comments. 

• Trajectory of Globalization and Neoliberalism Discourse in News Outlets in Asia  (with Youngik Lee and Jonghyun Jee of KAIST )

Although East Asian democracies have been strong supporters of globalization and neoliberalism, these concepts have simultaneously created domestic winners and losers, often serving as sources of internal division. Using news data, we explore the conceptualization and reconceptualization of these terms over the past 30 years and examine the trajectory of their usage.