ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

In recent years, Korean society has witnessed complex structural changes, including ultra-low birth rates, increased male participation in caregiving, and the flexibilization of the countryʼs labor market. Work–life balance has emerged as a central issue in public discourse within this context. This study empirically investigates how public opinion has flowed and how the discourse surrounding this topic has been structured by collecting approximately 790,000 online comments from a database of news articles on Naver, South Koreaʼs largest online portal, posted between January 2006 and February 2025, and analyzing them using multi-level text-mining techniques. An analysis of comment volume by year revealed significant surges in 2014, 2016-2017, and 2024, corresponding with periods of heightened policy activity. This suggests a close correlation between policy developments and online public opinion. Using TF-IDF and co-occurrence analysis based on designated keywords, the study identified several core terms found in the comments, such as ʻʻgovernmentʼʼ, ʻʻwomenʼʼ, ʻʻmenʼʼ, ʻʻchildrenʼʼ, and ʻʻworkʼʼ. Discourse on work-life balance is formed within a complex socio-institutional context. Subsequent LDA topic modeling yielded five major themes related to work-life balance. A topic network analysis revealed that perceptions of low birth rates served as central connectors linking topics such as gender equality, childcare, and family policy. Furthermore, analyses of representative comments within each topic confirmed that online participants articulated concrete and realistic concerns regarding the challenges of achieving work-life balance in Korea. By integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses of public discourse in the digital sphere, this study provides a multifaceted understanding of societal perceptions of work-life balance in Korea. It offers practical and public opinion-driven insights for the design of future family policies, gender equality measures, and population strategies, thereby contributing meaningfully to academic and policy-oriented discussions.

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