Byung Wook "BK" Kim, Ph.D.

About me

With a Ph.D. in Mass Communications, I focus on the complex interactions between global/national/local issues, organizational responses to them, and public perception, using quantitative, qualitative, and computational research methods. I have experience in large-scale data analysis using multiple software tools, including Python, SPSS, Eviews, and MySQL.

In my recent study examining the U.S. environmental news coverage, I employed "guided" LDA topic modeling and a Transformer-based model for sentiment analysis. Using panel data analysis, I identified a shift towards market-driven solutions in media, moving away from narratives of climate justice and global equity. The methodological contribution bridged objective and subjective analyses through machine learning, successfully integrating inductive pattern searching and deductive hypothesis-driven statistical tests.

My dissertation critically examined the neoliberalization of climate change news coverage in Korea. Despite many positive promises, carbon offset and trade mechanisms within the carbon market view environmental issues as market failures that can be addressed by remedying the functions of the liberal market. Informed by the Coase Theorem's approach, the carbon offset mechanism attempts to address externalities within the market mechanism and naturalizes market-liberal ideas in environmental discourse.

My other research agenda is to verify public diplomacy's effectiveness statistically. "Time" is the initial focal point I address among various methodological challenges within this question. To understand the effects of public diplomacy, it might be essential to consider past investments that cumulatively influence or have lagged effects on future outcomes. My research in this line explores the possibility of implementing the Granger Causality test.

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To briefly note here, while panel data analysis is advantageous for verifying overarching trends and patterns of change across variables over time, the Granger Causality test more specifically verifies the significance of independent variables at preceding time points in explaining the dependent variable at succeeding time points.

My future research directions include investigating factors that affect or are affected by climate change coverage. This could involve examining how severe weather data predicts climate change framing, analyzing the delayed correlation between news framing trends and carbon market fluctuations, and studying the emotional impact of frames on persuasion.

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As an educator, I am committed to fostering critical thinking and practical skills in students, preparing them to navigate and shape the future of strategic communication and the digital media landscape. My teaching philosophy is grounded in inclusivity and cultivating a diverse academic environment, where different perspectives are heard and integral to the learning experience.