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Jiyoung Ko

Korea University · Social Sciences

About the Lab

Professor Jiyoung Ko's research lab specializes in international relations, with a focus on nuclear politics, alliance dynamics, and the domestic politics of nationalism. The lab investigates how public opinion shapes foreign and security policy, particularly in the context of extended deterrence, nonproliferation, and nationalist mobilization. Using experimental and survey-based methods, the lab explores the interplay between state rhetoric, public sentiment, and foreign policy outcomes in East Asia and beyond. Key research directions include the credibility of security commitments, the psychological drivers of nationalist movements, and the role of identity in shaping foreign policy preferences.

nuclear deterrencenationalismpublic opinionsecurity alliancesnonproliferation

Research Overview

Papers
28
Total Citations
204
Papers (5y)
25
Primary Field
Social Sciences

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
25total
2019
2021
2022
2023
2024
Citations per year (5y)
170total
20192021202220232024

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|49 citations·2022
Under the Umbrella: Nuclear Crises, Extended Deterrence, and Public Opinion
David Allison, Stephen Herzog, Jiyoung Ko
SJR Q1Journal of Conflict ResolutionOA

How robust is public support for extended nuclear deterrence in patron and client states? Recent studies have improved scholarly understanding of US public opinion about nuclear weapon use against non-nuclear adversaries. Yet, there is limited knowledge of public attitudes regarding retaliation for nuclear strikes against US allies. We develop a theoretical typology of nuclear crises and investigate this phenomenon with a novel survey experiment ( n = 6,623). Americans, Japanese, and South Korea

Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
2
Article|34 citations·2018
Alliance and Public Preference for Nuclear Forbearance: Evidence from South Korea
Jiyoung Ko
SJR Q1Foreign Policy Analysis

Abstract How does a patron state dampen a client state's domestic aspirations for developing nuclear weapons? What nonproliferation tools most effectively induce a client state's domestic preference for nuclear forbearance? This article assesses the relative effectiveness of three nonproliferation tools available to a nuclear patron: a declaration of extended deterrence, forward deployment of nuclear weapons, and a conditional threat of punishment. More specifically, using experimental data on t

Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
3
Article|31 citations·2021
Nationalism and immigration control
Jiyoung Ko, Seung‐Whan Choi
SJR Q1Nations and Nationalism

Abstract Does the rise of nationalism lead to immigration policy change? By focusing on elite‐led nationalism, this study offers a novel perspective: When top political leaders rely on nationalism as their legitimation strategy, they are more disposed to adopt policies aimed at strict immigration control, such as the imposition of sanctions on illegal immigrants, due to their hands being tied. We perform a battery of empirical tests using a cross‐national, time‐series data for 33 countries for t

Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
4
Article|25 citations·2021
Commanding Support: Values and Interests in the Rhetoric of Alliance Politics
Jonathan Chu, Jiyoung Ko, Adam Liu
SJR Q1International Interactions

How can democratic governments convince their citizens to support a costly military alliance? We theorize about two rhetorical tools that foreign policy leaders have historically used to achieve this goal: instrumental cues emphasizing national interests and ideational cues highlighting shared values. We then assess the effects of these appeals in various forms and contexts by analyzing two original survey experiments fielded in the United States. Our analysis shows that alliance rhetoric – whet

Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
5
Article|18 citations·2022
Not So Dangerous? Nationalism and Foreign Policy Preference
Jiyoung Ko
SJR Q1International Studies Quarterly

ABSTRACT In the field of international relations, it has long been believed that nationalism generates adverse foreign policy preferences. This article revisits this long-standing assumption by investigating how stimulating nationalistic sentiments shapes mass foreign policy preferences in two contexts, namely when celebrating national achievements and greatness with a focus on the national Self and when invoking negative historical memories in relation to a salient Other. Using a survey experim

Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
6
Article|13 citations·2022
‘No Japan’: explaining motivations behind nationalist boycotts in South Korea
Jiyoung Ko, Sung Mi Kim
SJR Q1International Relations of the Asia-Pacific

Abstract When Japan in 2019 removed South Korea from its whitelist of most trusted trading partners, South Koreans responded by organizing mass nationalist boycotts against Japanese goods. What affects South Korean citizens’ willingness to participate in this nationalist movement? In this article, we offer a systematic investigation of individuals’ motivations behind their boycott participation along the two dimensions of nationalist boycotts – boycotts as a collective choice and boycotts as an

Cultural StudiesSocial Sciences
7
Article|9 citations·2023
Remember Kabul? Reputation, strategic contexts, and American credibility after the Afghanistan withdrawal
D.G. Kim, Joshua Byun, Jiyoung Ko
SJR Q1Contemporary Security PolicyOA

We examine how a great power’s past behavior toward an informal security partner affects the broader credibility of its security commitments, focusing on the implications of America’s dramatic troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 as perceived by the U.S., South Korean, and Chinese publics. Against conventional wisdom, we show that knowledge about a great power’s decision to abandon an informal partner in one region of the globe can help increase confidence about its alliance commitments els

Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
8
book|8 citations·2023
Popular Nationalism and War
Jiyoung Ko

Abstract Does nationalism lead to interstate war? This book challenges the widely held assumption that nationalism causes war and systematically investigates how popular nationalism affects a country’s decision to launch military aggression. The book makes a novel and provocative claim that popular nationalism has not only a conflict-inducing effect but also a restraining one, and identifies the conditions under which popular nationalism triggers interstate violence. Specifically, the book asser

Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
9
Article|7 citations·2021
Not risky business? Nationalism and foreign direct investment
Jiyoung Ko, Mi Jeong Shin
SJR Q2The Social Science Journal

Despite growing research on nationalism and its impact in international relations, little work has been done on how the rise of nationalism in host countries influences foreign direct investment (FDI), a key driver for promoting economic growth. We hypothesize that multinational corporations are less likely to enter host countries with high nationalism, due to the multiple risks that high nationalism entails, such as nationalist boycotts and changes in policy initiatives, and that this dampening

Strategy and ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting
10
Article|1 citations·2023
Using the Fables of Zhuangzi to Design Classical General Education : Blended Learning
Jiyoung Ko
The Korean Association of General EducationOA

In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, classical education has become more important, and the direction of classical education in universities is changing. Therefore, I designed a college classical course to develop the necessary capabilities among students in this rapidly changing era. Among the Chinese classics, <i>Zhuangzi</i> was selected as a recommended book by many universities. The fables contained in <i>Zhuangzi</i> lower the threshold for the study of t

Information SystemsComputer Science
11
Book Chapter|1 citations·2023
Introduction
Jiyoung Ko

Abstract This chapter begins by introducing the theoretical and empirical puzzle of the book: does popular nationalism cause interstate war? To answer this question, the chapter first defines what popular nationalism is and discusses its several distinctive characteristics. In doing so, the chapter clarifies how popular nationalism differs from other related concepts, such as populism, ethnic nationalism, and civic nationalism. It then discusses from whom popular nationalism emerges and defines

Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
12
Book Chapter|0 citations·2023
Appendix
Jiyoung Ko

Subject International Relations Collection: Oxford Scholarship Online

Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
13
Book Chapter|0 citations·2023
Chinese Popular Nationalism and the Territorial Dispute with Japan
Jiyoung Ko

Abstract This chapter investigates how Chinese popular nationalism has influenced the country’s decision of using force or maintaining the status quo in the Senkaku/Diaoyu/Diaoyutai Islands dispute between China/Taiwan and Japan in the East China Sea. The chapter illustrates how China has mainly exercised restraint and maintained the status quo in this dispute, despite strong popular nationalism. Although China has been rising rapidly, its complete victory in conflict has been a distant possibil

Cultural StudiesSocial Sciences
14
other|0 citations·2023
Copyright Page
Jiyoung Ko

Extract Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. © Oxford University Press 2023 All rights reserved. No part of this pu

Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
15
Book Chapter|0 citations·2023
Popular Nationalism, Political Elites’ Strategic Calculations, and Conflict Initiation
Jiyoung Ko

Abstract This chapter proposes a new theory of popular nationalism and war by investigating how popular nationalism factors into political leaders’ strategic decision to launch military aggression. It elucidates how popular nationalism creates two contrasting incentives with regard to the initiation of militarized conflict, and how those incentives, coupled with the two moderating variables—political elites’ perceived chance of victory in conflict and their domestic political vulnerability—ultim

Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences

Research Areas

Political Science and International RelationsSociology and Political ScienceCultural StudiesStrategy and ManagementInformation Systems

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