Denotation and connotation in public representation: Semantic network analysis of Hwang supporters' internet dialogues

摘要

This article analyzes the internet discourses of Korean people who supported Hwang Woo Suk despite the disclosure of his scientific misconduct. During the controversial period, those who supported Hwang constructed a narrative of a fallen hero trapped by jealous rivals and an "unjust" society. The supporters' dramatized discourses compete with expert opinions of Seoul National University's Audit Board and prosecutors that investigated the scientific fraud. By introducing and applying an innovative method of semantic network analysis, this study explores how the supporters represent their personal concerns in daily life and latent social problems in South Korea, as well as the failure of science communication. In short, the supporters' internet representations connote concerns in daily life that motivated their sympathy and activism for Hwang.