Link analysis: Hyperlink patterns and social structure on politicians’ Web sites in South Korea

This paper presents results of an investigation into political communication expressed by links connecting politicians’ web sites with the sites of other political actors in South Korea. Additionally, this study examines whether a set of socio-demographic variables for web site producers is associated with linking behavior. Both traditional methods and social network analytical techniques are employed to investigate linking patterns between sites. Perhaps unsurprisingly, members of the South Korean National Assembly linked most to party web sites, and linking patterns did not change between 2003 and 2004. Out of a range of demographic variables investigated, the only ones that related significantly to linking practices were party affiliations and friendship networks.