The Discursive Battle of Security : A Laclau-Mouffe Discourse Analysis of Securitization during the 2024 South Korean Martial Law Crisis

This thesis analyses the deployment of securitizing discourse during the 2024 martial law crisis in South Korea. It examines two securitizing moves of various success during the events of the crisis: president Yoon Suk-yeol’s securitization of the political opposition, as well as the subsequent counter-securitization of Yoon through analysis of the media response to the events. The theoretical framework is rooted in the Copenhagen school of securitization theory, as well as additional theory on securitization and its success and failure. This is integrated with the methodological framework, consisting of discourse analysis as a method utilising Laclau-Mouffe discourse theory. The findings of the analysis demonstrate the importance of authoritarianism and democracy as floating signifiers within the securitizing discourses, showing how the battle for establishing meaning to these elements shaped the securitizing move and its outcome. Furthermore, the usage of familiar threats within securitizing discourse, as well as the insight that South Korea as a case study brings, is also discussed. Lastly, further research relating to securitization success and failure and its additional dimensions is encouraged.