한류의 선풍적 인기와 더불어 한식 또한 세계적 관심을 받고 있다. 이로부터 자극받아 가시화된 한식세계화정책은 이명박 · 박근혜 정부뿐만 아니라 지난 수십여 년 간 국가의 주요한 문화산업 정책의 일환으로 연속적으로 추진된 담론체계이다. 본 연구는 한식세계화정책의 이면에 신자유주의 통치성이 자리한다고 주장한다. 신자유주의 통치성은 비단 국가의 정책 집행뿐만 아니라 자기 통치를 내면화하는 개인의 자발적 참여를 요청한다. 이 논문은 경제적 이윤과 효율을 추구하는 한식세계화정책이 어떻게 신자유주의 통치성과 맞물리며 자율적 개인을 통한 국가의 원격 통치를 수행하는지를 다양한 사례를 통해 분석한다. 이를 위해 한식 담론의 역사적 변천, 한식을 정의하고 공인하는 한식문화관의 전시전략, 한식 관련 미디어 재현을 분석하여 한국 사회가 신자유주의 통치성 체제로 변화되고 굴절되며 유동하는 모습을 한식세계화를 매개로 가시화한다. 한식세계화정책 속에서 확인되는 신자유주의 통치성은 경제 외적 요인으로 여겨지던 가족, 공동체, 음식문화까지 경제의 영역으로 재편하였으며 그 결과 개인과 집단을 스스로 책임지고 행동하며 통치하는 기업가적 주체로 정비하였다.
　
Korean food is coming into vogue as the popularity of the Korean Wave continues to swell. The globalization of Korean food has been one of the goals that the Korean government has pursued through significant cultural policies for the past two decades. The governmental policies for the globalization of Korean food were based on the discourses of soft power that attempt to transform everyday food culture into a cultural industry. Both the Korean Food Culture Center and Korean food-related media content have contributed to the formation of a Korean food globalization discourse. Neoliberal governmentality has enabled the government-led Korean food globalization project to be maintained and reinforced despite numerous controversies and criticism. Foucault’s governmentality addresses not only the political structure or analysis of state management but also an overall way of guiding individual or group behaviors. For neoliberal governmentality to be effectively implemented, the voluntary participation of individuals who internalize self-government is essential. By using various case analyses, this paper examines how the Korean food globalization project, which pursues economic success and efficiency, is placed in the neoliberal governmentality and government at a distance by reinforcing autonomous individuals. First of all, this study explores the historical process in which the structure of Korean society has been transformed into a neoliberal system as it reconstructed around the economic government. With the deepening policy of globalization of Korean food, the past decades were able to witness the expanding and tightening of a neoliberal government. This study discusses how the knowledge of Korean cuisine is constructed and disseminated through an institution such as the Korean Food Culture Center. Social and spatial analysis of a museum provides insight into how knowledge construction plays a crucial role in shaping the mindset of the neoliberal citizen. Lastly, the study also discusses how neoliberal governmentality is reproduced by the media. In the age of globalizing Korean food, neoliberal subject practices ‘conduct of conduct’ or counter-conduct in terms of Foucault’s concept of governmentality. It is essential to analyze the power relationships among the nation, market, and individual in the implementation of the governmental policies for the globalization of Korean food. The detailed inquiry of the historical development of the Korean food globalization policy, the construction of the Korean Food Culture Center, and Korean food-related media discourse determines how Korean society has been transformed into neoliberal governmentality. Neoliberal governmentality has transformed the family, community, and food culture, which were considered external factors of the economy, into the realm of the economy. As a result, the policy reorganized individuals and groups into entrepreneurial subjects who are responsible, acting, and governing themselves. Based on these findings, we encourage further research to investigate the connection between cultural policy and governmentality.