Metaphors for MERS and Their Ideological Meaning: Focusing on the news reports from Korean media KBS and JTBC

<메르스>에 대한 은유와 이데올로기적 함축: KBS와 JTBC 뉴스 보도를 중심으로

This study has two main purposes: to establish a list of source domains in the metaphors for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and to uncover ideological meanings embedded in them in Korean news reports from KBS and JTBC. The first part of this study presents metaphors such as [MERS IS WAR], [MERS IS WAVE], [MERS IS A LIVING THING], and [MERS IS A THING], which were found in the data. The latter part of this study deals with how the two broadcasting companies use these metaphors differently according to their ideologies. In the metaphor of [MERS IS WAR], KBS tends to show less of the agents who controls the war since the war against MERS has failed which casts responsibility to the controlling agents, the government and big hospitals. In this, KBS tries to present less of the information of the responsible agents that presented in JTBC. Through the metaphor of [MERS IS WAVE], KBS presents the aftermath of MERS as something not serious. Compared to JTBC, KBS tends to suggest that the aftermath of MERS is predominantly an economic effects by metaphorically suggesting that predominantly the economic sector got hit by MERS.