Envisioning Unity: The Media Discourse in South Korea and Germany on National Unity. A Longitudinal Study on Emerging Transnational Public Spheres

Using the example of the discourse on national unity in Germany and South Korea, this article examines the formation of transnational public spheres along long-wave political issues. It explores to what extent a similar political challenge of two states is conducive to the formation of a transnational public sphere. The findings of a qualitative analysis of frames in the reporting of South Korean and West German leading media on the process of German unification from 1989 to 1991 as well as the initiatives of South Korean President Moon Jae-In for peace and unification on the Korean peninsula in 2018 and 2019 are discussed. The study reveals indications for the emergence of a trans-national public sphere with regard to all important indicators. However, this appears to be fragile and strongly driven by the fall of the Berlin Wall as a key event with global impact.