The Power Shift and Rhetorical Battle: The Noblesse Oblige Discourse in the South Korean Press During 1995-2006.

The concept "noblesse oblige" reflects the social and political conflicts between high and low classes and explains the way how the political authority of the power elite group is maintained. Using a content analysis, this study investigates how Korean newspapers have defined the "Noblesse" (noble people) and their "obliges" (obligations). The results indicate that 1) the political elite group has lost their authority due to their misconduct, 2) the economic elite group has emerged as a new ruling group, and 3) the positive description of an upper class has increased. This study concludes that noblesse oblige which was originally adopted as the rhetoric to criticize elites has been transformed into the rhetoric to justify the authority of the economic elite group. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]