This study conducted critical discourse analysis (CDA) on the relationship between graduate student and advisor from the media coverage in order to explore the related discourse and sociocultural structure in the Korean society. The media coverage from 2015 to 2017 were analyzed to find its reporting trend by theme, and CDA was conducted focusing on the data in 2017. Results showed that the media coverage on graduate student and advisor had increased gradually, especially on the Gap-Eul relationship and the infringement of graduate students’ human rights. Subsequently, the first dimension of text analysis in CDA analyzed how graduate student, advisor, and their relationship were defined, and the Gap-Eul relationship was a key word. The second dimension of discourse practice showed the process where the discourse on graduate student and advisor expanded to the Gap-Eul relationship among various groups in the Korean society. It also showed the development of the discourse into detailed topics such as graduate students’ identities and rights. The third dimension of social/cultural practice showed the discourse leading to graduate students’ resistant moves and the social effect of creating legal and institutional measures to protect graduate students’ human rights at the university and social levels. In this dimension, the analysis also tried to clarify the true nature of graduate students, who are called as students or workers, and show the structure of labor market in the Korean society, surrounding graduate students and advisors as well as the societal perspectives towards them.