Gatekeeping of translations in Shinchunji in South Korea during the Cold War (1946–1954) from the text mining approach

Abstract

This study examines the change of criteria for selecting texts for translation in Shinchunji, the most influential magazine in liberated Korea. Using data mining methods, the study analyzes the topics and narratives of the source texts on the two occupiers of Korea: the US and the USSR. The results reveal that institutional, domestic, and international changes affected the magazine’s selection process, as its editors’ perceptions of the two powers changed over time. The selected texts’ topics and narratives show the ideological transformation of the publishing company from a left-leaning or moderate to an anti-communist governmental mouthpiece, expressing the editors’ desire to win over the minds of the Koreans for nation-building.