Journalism, Environmental Issues, and Sport Mega-Events: A Study of South Korean Media Coverage of the Mount Gariwang Development for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games

Abstract

Few studies on sport and communication consider how environmental issues are reported on—especially in non-Western media. In this article, we report findings from a study of South Korean mainstream and alternative print media coverage of the controversial development of Mount Gariwang for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our study focused on (1) how the decisions and events unfolding around the development of Mount Gariwang were portrayed in South Korean mainstream and alternative news coverage and (2) how the issues at play were politicized and/or depoliticized within and across these outlets. We found that differences in coverage of environmental issues were starkest between, on one side, conservative mainstream media and, on the other side, left-leaning mainstream and alternative media outlets. We also found that environmental controversies were variably politicized or depoliticized in differently positioned media outlets—with left leaning and alternative media highlighting concerns about Olympic-related hypocrisy and corruption, and right-leaning media usually featuring depoliticizing statements from Olympic and government elites. All media outlets highlighted questions about why viable and existing venues were not being used instead of Mount Gariwang, with economic and environmental issues being emphasized differently across outlets. We conclude with reflections on the relevance of our findings for considering links between sport, mediatization, journalism, and environmental politics and suggestions for future research in international coverage of sport- and mega-event-related environmental issues.

A winter sport mega-event and its aftermath: A critical review of post-Olympic PyeongChang

“…The 2018 Olympic Winter Games was no exception. The opening of the Jeongseon Alpine Centre in Mount Gariwang was arguably the most contentious issue at the Games because more than 500 years old forests in the mountain were destroyed to create Olympic ski slopes (Yoon and Wilson, 2019). Prior to the construction of this ski resort, the Olympic organisers claimed that Mount Gariwang was the only place in the vicinity of PyeongChang that meets the requirements of the International Ski Federation (McCurry and Emma, 2015).…”

“…It seems that PyeongChang encounters difficult social and environmental problems at the expense of hosting the less than two weeks’ Olympic ski competitions. The local community has been painfully divided on this matter, and the ecosystem and biodiversity in Gariwang Mountain have been significantly distorted (Yoon and Wilson, 2019). The future of the Olympic ski facilities is still uncertain.…”

Influence of Beijing Winter Olympic Games Construction on Vegetation Coverage around Zhangjiakou Competition Zone

“…Pyeongchang, South Korea, has put forward the plan of a “green dream” since its bid. However, more than 58,000 trees, including some 500-year-old ancient trees and rare species, were destroyed to make way for the venue of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics [ 9 ]. Environmental activists said that it was an ecological disaster.…”

“…For instance, public referenda held in Denver turned down the International Olympic Committee’s offer to host the 1976 Winter Games due to concerns of environmental destruction [ 7 , 8 ]. The construction of the Jeongseon Alpine Centre in Mount Gariwang for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was also intensely argued against because more than 500-year-old forests on the mountain had been destroyed to create Olympic ski slopes [ 9 ]. Therefore, the ecological impact that is caused by the construction of the Winter Olympic Games is worthy of attention.…”

The Legacy of Sport Events for Emerging Nations

“…Environment (incl. sustainability) Ermolaeva and Lind, 2021 Gulak-Lipka and Jagielski, 2020 Kim and Grix, 2021Kim et al, 2006Lee, 2019Melo et al, 2014Spanos et al, 2022Talavera et al, 2019Yoon and Wilson, 2019 Image/ brand The authors recommend that future legacy papers consider the paradoxes of development within underdevelopment among the…”