Abstract
The structure of international communication has been largely changed by appearance of broadcasting satellites. In particular, the audience in'internationalization of broadcasting'created by satellites are directly related to foreign TV. Most researches in international communication have concentrated on a relatively large unit of analysis, typically a national media system or culture. The structural change of international communication requires a change of the level of analysis to that of individual. The spillover of the Japanese Direct Broadcasting Satellite (DBS) in Korea has given rise to an argument about cultural imperialism. The proponents of this argued the problem of culture but overlooked the activity of the audience. Audience members are more active than critics believe. They seek content that seems to be the most gratifying in an information environment by the Japanese DBS which has enlarged the selectivity of the audience. By watching the Japanese DBS, the audience of Korea can directly receive information about Japanese society which does not pass through the process of filtering by the Korean media. By directly informing the audience of Korea, the Japanese DBS may affect them differently from Korean media on their perception of Japanese society. In this paper, I have tried to explore the needs and gratifications, and agenda-setting function of the Japanese DBS, adapted to the theory of Uses and Gratifications and Agenda-Setting. This research found that the Japanese DBS functions as a medium of international information and education. In particular, 'high-understanding groups'use this actively and gratify their needs with the Japanese DBS to same degree as Korean TV. Furthermore, more long-term and accumulative effects occur to the audience watching Japan news than non-viewers on perceiving the recent agenda about Japanese society.
