뉴스 게시판목록 | Sungkyunkwan University ( SKKU ) Department of Media and Communication

WAVE Global Joint Lecture Special Session: Guest Lecture by Prof. Jhih-Syuan (Elaine) Lin

The WAVE Global Joint Lecture is a program designed to expand students’ global learning experiences by offering high-quality courses jointly delivered by faculty members from Sungkyunkwan University and leading international universities. It aims to enhance the university’s educational competitiveness and build a global learning platform, while fostering diverse forms of collaboration such as joint curricula and research with overseas institutions. Speaker: Prof. Jhih-Syuan (Elaine) Lin (National Chengchi University, Taiwan) Professor and Chair, Department of Advertising Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, College of Communication Associate Editor, Journal of Advertising Lecture Topic: Persuasive Communication Strategies This lecture explores how message features (source, content, media) shape consumer responses and explains how psychological congruence influences attitude formation and change. Host: Department of Media and Communication, College of Social Sciences (Prof. Taehyun Baek, Advertising Consumer Psychology course) Date & Venue April 28, 2026 (Tuesday), 10:30 – 11:45 AM (Korean Standard Time, Seoul) Suseon Hall 61705 / Zoom (simultaneous) Zoom Link https://skku-edu.zoom.us/j/88596083476?pwd=AjLcT84r9oRkhOEHOk0oKsubesByby.1 Meeting ID: 885 9608 3476 Passcode: 255536 Contact: Department Office (+82-2-760-0391) Participants are required to keep their video on and microphone off. The lecture and Q&A will be conducted in English.
- 작성일 2026-05-08
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Department of Media and Communication Successfully Hosts Joint Research Symposium 2026 with City University of Hong Kong

▲ CityU–SKKU Joint Research Symposium 2026 The Department of Media and Communication (Chair: Prof. Jiyoung Lee) successfully hosted the Joint Research Symposium 2026 in collaboration with the City University of Hong Kong on January 20 at the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus. Under the theme “Connecting Scholars, Shaping the Future of Communication,” the symposium was organized to examine the theoretical and methodological directions of communication research in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). This international symposium was designed to strengthen ongoing academic exchange and collaborative research between the two institutions. Faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students in the field of media and communication from both universities gathered to share recent research findings and discuss future collaboration opportunities. ▲ Lecture by Prof. Shuhua Zhou The symposium began with opening remarks by Prof. Jiyoung Lee, followed by keynote lectures from Prof. Shuhua Zhou of City University of Hong Kong, titled “Understanding Human Perception of AI Communicators,” and Prof. Seungsu Lee’s “Talking about Politics with AI?” These presentations addressed key issues in AI-driven communication research, including human–AI interaction, digital humans, and political communication. ▲ Lecture by Prof. Seungsu Lee In the subsequent sessions, graduate students from both universities presented research on topics such as human–AI interaction, trust and transparency, chatbot communication, explainability of AI-generated outputs, and healthcare AI. The sessions provided a platform for active academic exchange among emerging scholars. The event concluded with a roundtable discussion titled “Reconsidering Communication in the Age of AI: Theory, Method, and Collaborative Research Agendas.” Faculty members from both institutions engaged in in-depth discussions on future research challenges and the potential for expanding international collaboration. ▲ Networking Dinner Building on this symposium, the Department of Media and Communication plans to further strengthen its partnership with City University of Hong Kong and continue expanding international collaborative research and talent exchange in AI and digital communication.
- 작성일 2026-05-08
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Sungkyunkwan University – City University of Hong Kong Joint Research Symposium 2026

The Department of Media and Communication at Sungkyunkwan University (Chair: Prof. Jiyoung Lee), in collaboration with the Department of Media and Communication at City University of Hong Kong, will host the 1st International Symposium on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, under the theme “Connecting Scholars, Shaping the Future of Communication.” This symposium aims to provide a platform for academic exchange examining the role and future direction of communication studies in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). The program will feature research presentations and in-depth discussions by Prof. Zhou Shuhua and Prof. Seungsu Lee from City University of Hong Kong, along with four doctoral researchers from CityU and four graduate students from Sungkyunkwan University. The symposium will conclude with a roundtable discussion titled “Reconsidering Communication in the Age of AI: Theory, Method, and Collaborative Research Agendas,” where participants will explore key theoretical and methodological issues in AI-driven communication research and discuss future opportunities for international collaboration.
- 작성일 2026-05-08
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[Student] Ph.D. Students Gahang Lee and Jiseon Maeng Receive Honorable Mention in the 2025 SKKU Graduate Thesis Awards

Ph.D. students Gahang Lee (Advisor: Prof. Taehyun Baek) and Jiseon Maeng (Advisor: Prof. Taehyun Baek) from the Department of Media and Communication at Sungkyunkwan University each received Honorable Mention in the 2025 SKKU Graduate Thesis Awards in the humanities and social sciences. Gahang Lee was recognized for the study “When Brands Whisper: A Computational Analysis of Consumer Responses to ASMR Advertising.” Jiseon Maeng received recognition for “The Emotional Dynamics of Mental Health Discourse on YouTube and How Digital Interactions Shape Collective Emotions.” This award program is designed to strengthen the research capabilities of emerging scholars and to identify creative researchers in the next generation.
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[Faculty] The Paradox of Feedback on Online Hate Speech: Negative Reactions Do Not Suppress Hate Speech

The Paradox of Feedback on Online Hate Speech: Negative Reactions Do Not Suppress Hate Speech – Research team led by Prof. Jaeguk Lee analyzes 25 million Naver comments using AI models A recent study has found that hate speech in online spaces is not reduced by negative feedback; instead, it tends to increase. Prof. Jaeguk Lee of the Department of Media and Communication and Dr. Hyoseon Yoo from the Institute for Technology and Democracy analyzed 25 million comments collected from Naver using a deep learning model. The results show that negative evaluations alone are insufficient to curb online hate speech. These findings were recently published in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly (JMCQ), one of the oldest and most prestigious journals in communication studies, first published in 1924. ▲ (From left) Dr. Hyoseon Yoo, Prof. Jaeguk Lee The study revealed that during the 2022 presidential election campaign period, general (non-hate) comments on Naver News increased when receiving positive feedback and decreased when receiving negative feedback. In contrast, comments containing hate speech did not decrease with negative feedback; rather, they increased. In political contexts such as elections, hate speech often aims to amplify anger and attack opposing sides, which may explain why it intensifies instead of being discouraged by negative responses. This research utilized web crawling techniques to collect all comments from approximately 330,000 news articles related to four major presidential candidates over the five months leading up to the election. To analyze this large-scale dataset, the research team developed a deep learning-based AI model. The KPHC (Korean Hate Speech Detection) model automatically identifies whether a comment contains hate speech. A separate study on the development of this model was previously published in Language Resources and Evaluation. ▲ Visualization of comment distribution on Naver News: overall comments (Figure 1) vs. hate speech (Figure 2) This study is significant in that it provides direction for addressing the growing problem of online hate speech. It also demonstrates how research based on Korea’s unique social and political context can contribute to broader global discussions by being published in an international academic journal. ※ Journal: Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly ※ Article Title: Negative Feedback Fuels Hate Speech: A Deep Learning Analysis of 25 Million News Comments ※ Article Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10776990251343076
- 작성일 2026-05-08
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[Faculty] Political Polarization and Emotional Division in Korean Society Identified Through Naver Comments

Political Polarization and Emotional Division in Korean Society Identified Through Naver Comments – Comprehensive analysis of 330,000 news articles and 36.9 million comments – Machine learning and network analysis reveal ideological asymmetry in media landscape and user responses A recent study has identified patterns of political polarization and emotional division in Korean media and online public opinion through an analysis of Naver comments. Prof. Jaeguk Lee from the Department of Media and Communication, in collaboration with researchers from Sungkyunkwan University, Indiana University, and KAIST, analyzed approximately 330,000 news articles and 36.92 million comments collected from the Naver News platform during the 2022 Korean presidential election period. The study was recently published in the international journal Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications. ▲ (Clockwise from top left) Prof. Jaeguk Lee, Dr. Hyoseon Yoo, Prof. Beomjun Kim, Dr. Byunghwi Lee, Prof. Hawoong Jeong The research team introduced a novel method for estimating the political orientation of media outlets using only the number of comments and reactions (likes/dislikes), without analyzing the textual content. The results showed a clear clustering of conservative and progressive media outlets, while users’ political orientations were also found to be polarized into two distinct groups. Notably, users with more extreme political views were more active in commenting, and the interaction network among commenters exhibited an “echo chamber” structure, where individuals primarily engaged with others who shared similar views. ▲ A large proportion of commenters were politically extreme (a), and their commenting activity was more active (b). On the x-axis, –1 represents progressive and +1 represents conservative. ▲ A polarized network structure in which users with similar political orientations comment on the same news articles Emotional responses to comments also showed clear differences. Conservative users tended to express agreement within their group and strong disagreement toward opposing views, while progressive users displayed asymmetric emotional polarization by responding more actively to moderate users. The researchers interpreted this as evidence that “the network structure of emotions itself is asymmetrically organized depending on political alignment.” Furthermore, the team developed a machine learning model capable of predicting the political orientation of news articles using only user reaction patterns, achieving high accuracy even without analyzing the article text. This suggests that collective user behavior alone can effectively reveal the structure of the media landscape. This study represents an interdisciplinary collaboration combining quantitative methods from statistical physics with media theory, demonstrating that ideological division in online spaces operates not merely as differences in opinion but as a structural disconnection of emotions. The researchers emphasized that, in an era of increasing political polarization, data-driven analysis is essential for understanding the mechanisms of the public sphere and for designing more effective democratic communication systems. ※ Journal: Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications ※ Article Title: Network Analysis Reveals News Press Landscape and Asymmetric User Polarization ※ Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2025.130842
- 작성일 2026-05-08
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[Student] Silver Prize at the 2025 Korea Student Advertising Competition (KOSAC)

On June 27, the team “Noise Guardians” (Advisor: Prof. Taehyun Baek), consisting of Yeonwoo Park (Media & Communication ’22), Haeun Kim (Economics & Media & Communication ’22), Woongsik Jeon (Fashion ’19), and Seoyeong Jung (German Studies ’21), won the Silver Prize at the 2025 Korea Student Advertising Competition (KOSAC), hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Advertising Federation. KOSAC is one of Korea’s leading industry-academia programs aimed at revitalizing the advertising industry and enhancing the practical capabilities of aspiring advertisers. It has become a major platform for university students nationwide to showcase their creativity and strategic planning skills. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, this year’s competition was held under the theme “Creating a Healthy Everyday Life with Smart Technology.” A total of 5,752 students participated nationwide, submitting 1,505 entries. Given this scale, winning the Silver Prize represents a highly competitive and significant achievement, demonstrating the team’s outstanding creativity and strategic capabilities. The “Noise Guardians” team proposed a smart technology-based branding solution to address overtourism issues in Bukchon, which received high praise from the judges. This achievement highlights the department’s strength in creative planning and collaborative problem-solving, as well as its potential to contribute meaningfully to the advertising and communication industries and broader social issues. Regarding the award, team leader Yeonwoo Park stated, “I’m very happy to have achieved such a great result in my first KOSAC challenge, thanks to the guidance of Prof. Taehyun Baek and the hard work of our team members. It was a valuable experience to think creatively about making a better society.”
- 작성일 2026-05-08
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[Student] Master’s Student Seohyun Lee Receives the 2025 ICA Promising Student Paper Award

Master’s student Seohyun Lee (Advisor: Prof. Sungeun Chung) from the Department of Media and Communication received the Promising Student Paper Award at the Information Systems Division of the annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), held in Denver, USA, from June 12 to 16. The ICA is one of the most prestigious academic associations in the field of communication studies worldwide. The Promising Student Paper Award is given to outstanding papers authored or co-authored by graduate students that receive high evaluation scores from reviewers. The award was presented during the “Promising Student Papers” session, with a total of nine recipients selected this year. Notably, Seohyun Lee was the only master’s student among the awardees, demonstrating internationally recognized research capability at the graduate level. The title of the awarded paper is: “Do Positive Comments Function as Social Cues? Comparing Thin-Ideal and Body-Positive Images Through Social Comparison.”
- 작성일 2026-05-08
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[Faculty] Prof. Sungeun Chung’s Research Team Identifies the Relationship Between Perceived and Actual Message Effectiveness

Prof. Sungeun Chung’s research team from the Department of Media and Communication has published findings that scientifically identify the relationship between perceived message effectiveness and actual message effectiveness. In advertising and public campaigns that aim to influence audiences’ attitudes, opinions, or behaviors through persuasive messages, measuring message effectiveness is critical. Researchers may directly measure the actual changes in attitudes or opinions resulting from message exposure—referred to as actual message effectiveness (AME). However, when direct measurement is difficult, perceived message effectiveness (PME)—the audience’s evaluation of how effective a message is expected to be—is often used as an alternative. This study clarifies the relationship between these two measures, providing a more rigorous foundation for evaluating persuasive communication. The research was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Yulli Kim of the University of Denver, who completed her master’s degree at the Communication and Persuasion Lab at Sungkyunkwan University in 2014, and Byungheon Lee, a doctoral student at the University at Buffalo, who completed his master’s degree at the same lab in 2020.
- 작성일 2026-05-08
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[Faculty] Research Stories – The Power of Figurative Language: Enhancing the Effectiveness of AI-Generated Travel Recommendations

The Power of Figurative Language: Enhancing the Effectiveness of AI-Generated Travel Recommendations This study identifies how the language style of generative AI models influences travelers’ behavior. It finds that figurative language increases visit intention, and that the effect of language style varies depending on how human-like users perceive the AI to be. — Prof. Taehyun Baek, Department of Media and Communication Prof. Taehyun Baek conducted an international collaborative study with researchers from the University of Strathclyde and Texas A&M University, which has been published in a leading SSCI-indexed journal in the hospitality and tourism field. This research experimentally examined how the choice of language style in generative AI models affects traveler behavior when applied to the tourism industry, providing practical implications for AI-based tourism communication strategies. The research team analyzed how figurative language and literal language used in travel recommendations generated by ChatGPT influence potential travelers’ decision-making. The findings were published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management, a top-tier Q1 journal with an impact factor of 10.0 (as of 2023), ranking in the top 2.5% in the Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism category. Experimental results show that when ChatGPT uses figurative language, it enhances the vividness of travelers’ mental imagery and significantly increases their intention to visit. In particular, imagery vividness acts as a mediating factor between figurative language and visit intention (Study 1). Furthermore, the effect of figurative language was stronger among participants who perceived AI as more human-like, indicating that perceived AI human-likeness functions as a moderating variable (Study 2). In addition, when recommendations were provided by ChatGPT, figurative language significantly increased visit intention, whereas no significant difference was observed when recommendations were made by humans. This suggests a fundamental difference between AI and human recommendation mechanisms (Study 3). Prof. Baek emphasized, “At a time when generative AI technologies are rapidly advancing, it is highly meaningful to experimentally demonstrate how the language style of AI-based travel recommendation chatbots affects consumer behavior. We must now consider how to apply these technologies effectively in K-tourism marketing communication targeting international audiences.” He added, “The finding that figurative language used by ChatGPT increases visit intention highlights new possibilities for AI applications in the tourism industry.” This research provides important implications not only for the domestic tourism industry but also for local branding strategies aimed at regional revitalization. By using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to express the unique characteristics and appeal of destinations through figurative language, local governments and tourism organizations can stimulate travelers’ imagination and increase visit intention. Prof. Baek has produced outstanding research in digital advertising, AI and consumer behavior, and communication technology, publishing over 61 papers in leading international journals. He currently serves as Associate Editor of the SSCI-indexed Journal of Advertising Research and the ESCI/Scopus-indexed Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, actively contributing to the global academic community. Article Title: AI-generated recommendations: Roles of language style, perceived AI human-likeness, and recommendation agent
- 작성일 2026-05-08
- 조회수 382

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