Digital Cultural Diplomacy and the Construction of National Identity: The Role of Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS) as South Korea’s Special Envoy in the Sustainable Development Agenda

Abstract

Cultural diplomacy has undergone significant transformation alongside the growing role of digital platforms in international communication. This article examines how political narratives of identity are constructed through the practice of digital cultural diplomacy and how these constructions impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study employs a qualitative approach with a single instrumental case study design to analyze the digital discourse surrounding the involvement of the South Korean pop group Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS) as the Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Korea for Future Generations and Culture at the 2021 United Nations General Assembly(UN) in 2021, encompassing official speeches, digital campaign materials, and accompanying official news coverage. Data in the form of publicly accessible documents were collected through documentary analysis and non-participant observation on digital platforms, then analyzed using Fairclough’s three-dimensional critical discourse analysis model comprising textual, discursive, and sociocultural dimensions supplemented by netnographic principles to understand patterns of discourse circulation in digital spaces. The research findings indicate that South Korea’s national identity narrative is constructed through strategies to engage the younger generation that integrate the country’s diplomatic interests with the global agenda of sustainable development, particularly issues of education, equality, and global partnerships. This study also identifies a tension between the authenticity of cultural expression and political instrumentalization in celebrity-based cultural diplomacy practices. These findings contribute to the development of digital cultural diplomacy studies by offering an analytical framework that links the construction of identity discourse to global development agendas, while also providing insights for development communication practices rooted in popular culture.