%0 Journal Article
%T Why We Cheer for Viktor Ahn: Changing Characteristics of Sporting Nationalism and Citizenship in South Korea in the Era of Neoliberal Globalization
%A Jinsook Kim
%J Communication & Sport
%@ 2167-4809
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/2167479518788842
%X This article examines online discussions of the South Korean¨Cborn Russian short-track speed skater Viktor Ahn, formerly known as Ahn Hyun-soo, with a particular focus on the changing characteristics of nationalism in South Korea (hereafter Korea). Despite Korea¡¯s long history of sporting nationalism, the unexpected public support for Ahn has inspired popular and academic discussions regarding whether this nationalism is in fact weakening. I begin by exploring explanations for Ahn¡¯s continuing popularity in Korea and how critiques of the Korean Skating Union have spread to other aspects of Korean society. Next, I examine the representation of Ahn as a role model for the desirable cosmopolitan subject with flexible citizenship who is able to transcend national borders in the pursuit of individual success. I argue, however, that Korea¡¯s embrace of Ahn is less an indication that nationalism has been waning than it is a reclamation of Koreanness and a manifestation of a desire for national strength articulated through the conflation of traditional ethnic and developmental nationalism with neoliberal ideology. My ultimate goal, then, is to offer a nuanced understanding of the changing characteristics of sporting nationalism and citizenship in the era of neoliberal globalization
%K sports celebrity
%K flexible citizenship
%K nationalism
%K South Korea
%K Viktor Ahn
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2167479518788842