ScholarOne - Elements of an ideal intergroup apology as demanded by the victim group

In this research, we explored the elements of an ideal apology in international relations from a victim group’s perspective and examined how these elements relate to attitudes and thoughts about the conflict. Using the historical disputes between Korea and Japan as the backdrop, we asked victim group members (Koreans; N = 200) to write an apology statement that they would like to receive from the perpetrator group (Japan). Content analysis of the statements revealed 11 new elements of apology hitherto undocumented in the literature, in addition to 14 documented ones. We ran a cluster analysis to group elements that were mentioned together in the messages. Four clusters emerged, and they showed unique patterns of correlation with participants’ attitudes towards apology and expectations about future relations. This research suggests that unique characteristics inherent in every international conflict call for more fine-tuned efforts toward rapprochements.