Description
Virtual Reality (VR), often dubbed the ultimate empathy machine, offers a practical foundation for nurturing greater imagination and empathy. Despite its increasing adoption in various social science fields like tourism and military studies, VR remains notably absent in international relations (IR), as well as in IR pedagogy. In the era of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), IR must develop appropriate methodologies and pedagogies for spatial computing, from modality to affordance. In that respect, VR provides a unique platform for immersive simulations of global scenarios, enabling policymakers, scholars, and ordinary citizens—the principal agents of vernacular security—to experience diverse geopolitical realities firsthand. This paper begins by taking stock of current IR-VR literature and potential linkages. It then examines how VR can enhance IR literacy, particularly security literacy, by focusing on nuclear issues in the Korean peninsula and East Asia. In doing so, the study aims to create a collaborative arena where practitioners, theorists, students, and laypeople can engage in more imaginative, innovative problem-identification and problem-solving processes in IR thinking. By bridging the gap between VR technology and IR, this research contributes to the development of more empathetic and interdisciplinary approaches to global challenges.
