Resumen de Climate change co-sponsorship networks in South Korea: focusing on formal and informal ties of legislators

Ahyoung Cho

• This study analyzes the formation of climate change co-sponsorship networksamong South Korean legislators from the 18th to the 20th National Assemblyand provides a comprehensive understanding of the interdependent co-sponsorship behaviour to address climate change at the domestic level.Legislators’formal ties are defined by their political party membershipwhereas informal ties are defined by other shared characteristics such as re-election status as well as regional (jiyon) and education-based (hakyon) ties.While it has been commonly viewed that Korean climate politics did notexperience major conflicts between political parties, this study observes thatKorean legislators demonstrate strong party homophily in their climatechange co-sponsorship networks. This study alsofinds that rational legislatorsare influenced by their informal social relations. More experienced legislatorstend to be less engaged in co-sponsorship activities and legislators from thepolitically sensitive regions are more likely to form co-sponsorship tiesamong themselves.