ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a cross-cultural analysis of media reporting of the incident by select South Korean and Western media outlets, as well as the Japanese media. A close examination of Japanese versions of South Korean newspaper articles reveals that there are a few important developments concerning the Itaewon incident: the breaking of the news and national panic, concerns for sexual minority and privacy, and digression into celebrity gossips and “black sleeping rooms.” As the incident involved several thousands of individuals who were at gay clubs, their sexuality and their privacy also became key topics of the press coverage. The news agencies gathered some of the news reports from outside sources, in particular from the South Korean media, and distributed them widely in and out of Japan. Japanese weekly news magazines have a long history. There were a few news articles concerning the Itaewon outbreak by Japan’s news magazines that have echoed among social media users.
