Rethinking social activism regarding human rights for student-athletes in South Korea

Abstract

This study used critical theory as a theoretical lens to explore how diverse individuals, groups and organizations have made endeavours to promote social change and policy reform regarding human rights issues involved with South Korean student-athletes. Therefore, three primary cases of social activism were examined. The first case was the activism of civil society as the initial gatekeeper to increase public attention. The second case was the activism of journalists that delivered messages to the general population through public media. The third case was the activism of scholars who directly contributed to empowering civil organizations and establishing the official collegiate sports governance. This study was conducted in an attempt to support previous research by providing more various examples of individuals and groups, attempts to expand this topic and knowledge into global scholarship. This study adopted a critical approach in order to promote theoretical contribution to the academic community in a specific regional context.