(iPoster) IO Legitimacy in Polarized Politics: IAEA's Role in S. Korea's Fukushima Debate

• In Event: Poster Session: International Collaboration

Abstract

This paper investigates how international organizations (IOs) can maintain legitimacy when engaging in polarized domestic policy debates. Focusing on the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) involvement in South Korea's controversy over Japan's Fukushima wastewater release plan, we first analyze how political parties strategically frame IO characteristics in public discourse. Through an inductive analysis of party statements, we identify three key features - expertise, neutrality, and transparency - that parties use to either legitimize or challenge IO involvement. We then conduct a survey experiment (N=3,106) testing how emphasis on these characteristics affects public acceptance of IO engagement in domestic affairs. Our findings reveal that highlighting technical expertise significantly increases support for IO involvement, particularly among initially skeptical liberals and moderates. On the other hand, emphasizing transparency or neutrality shows limited effects across all groups. These findings advance our understanding of how IOs can maintain influence in highly polarized contexts, while suggesting that traditional sources of IO legitimacy may carry different weight when issues become politically contested.

Authors

• Sung Eun Kim, Korea University

• Jong Hee Park, Seoul National University

• Inbok Rhee, Yonsei University

• Joonseok Yang, Sungkyunkwan University