Area Of South Korea Research Articles

Urban Livability Assessment in South Korea: Incorporating Climate Change Vulnerability

This study aims to develop an urban livability assessment index that incorporates climate change vulnerability and to apply this index to urban areas in South Korea, thereby analyzing the impact of climate change on living environments and quality of life. Existing frameworks for livability indices often fail to adequately reflect the long-term risks associated with climate change. Consequently, this research proposes a new livability index that includes climate change vulnerability, establishing a policy foundation aimed at protecting and enhancing the quality of life for urban residents. The methodology integrates existing livability indicators with climate change vulnerability indicators across 219 cities and districts in South Korea. Utilizing panel regression analysis and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) analysis, the study evaluates the spatial clustering characteristics and potential risks in each area. The results indicate that urban infrastructure significantly influences livability, with climate change vulnerability indicators forming high clusters primarily in southern regions. Furthermore, the study confirms economic disparities within the metropolitan area, as well as the exacerbation of social inequalities in regions vulnerable to disaster safety and social services. This research underscores the necessity of integrating climate change vulnerability into livability indices, suggesting that such indices can serve as critical criteria for urban policy formulation and the evaluation of regeneration projects.

Is Shanghai a rival to Seoul? Analysis on complementary and competitive relationships in trade

Despite the continuous expansion of trade and investment agreements between China and South Korea, little is known about the distribution of benefits and losses stemming from synergy and competition at the regional level. This paper aims to investigate the complementary and competitive interactions among 14 economic regions of the two countries concerning bilateral export scale. Using a Dendrinos-Sonis model based on a zero-sum structure, we analyzed the interregional trade patterns between the two countries from 2002 to 2022. The evidence shows that the growth of Seoul metropolitan area is complementary to the growth of Shanghai metropolitan area in terms of regioinal export share, but not vice versa. Central Area in South Korea exhibits widespread complementarity, while Beijing metropolitan leans towards competition.

Economic impacts of a subway system: Exploring local contexts in a metropolitan area

With rapid urban population growth, more subway systems have been developed in metropolitan areas around the world. It is commonly presumed that the improved mobility and accessibility provided by subway systems are capitalized as a financial premium for nearby real estate assets. This study empirically explores this presumption with a case study of Gwangju, a metropolitan area in South Korea. The study site is found to have had a negative economic impact on housing prices from a subway system in the mid-2010s; however, the sign has changed over time, although the subway has experienced no actual expansion or operational changes. This indicates that the economic impact of subway systems may not necessarily become positive or remain static. We examine a wide range of local contexts to explain the sign change. Our study adopts machine learning algorithms to precisely address the nonlinearity inherent in our dataset and quantifies the importance of housing factors in the assessment of housing prices using SHapley Additive exPlanation. We also employ a series of hedonic pricing models to determine the effects of proximity to subway lines on housing prices across years. Key changes in the later 2010s, including the increased modal share of the subway system and local politics, should have resulted in the potential benefits of the to-be-extended network being widely and fully realized. Our findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms of the economic impact of evolving transportation infrastructure on housing prices.

LiDAR-Based Snowfall Level Classification for Safe Autonomous Driving in Terrestrial, Maritime, and Aerial Environments.

Studies on autonomous driving have started to focus on snowy environments, and studies to acquire data and remove noise and pixels caused by snowfall in such environments are in progress. However, research to determine the necessary weather information for the control of unmanned platforms by sensing the degree of snowfall in real time has not yet been conducted. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to determine snowfall information for autonomous driving control in snowy weather conditions. To this end, snowfall data were acquired by LiDAR sensors in various snowy areas in South Korea, Sweden, and Denmark. Snow, which was extracted using a snow removal filter (the LIOR filter that we previously developed), was newly classified and defined based on the extracted number of snow particles, the actual snowfall total, and the weather forecast at the time. Finally, we developed an algorithm that extracts only snow in real time and then provides snowfall information to an autonomous driving system. This algorithm is expected to have a similar effect to that of actual controllers in promoting driving safety in real-time weather conditions.

Study on Morphometrical Urban Aerodynamic Roughness Multi-Scale Exploration Using LiDAR Remote Sensing

This study proposes the use of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing (RS) to support morphometric research for estimating the aerodynamic roughness length (z0 ) of building placement on various scales. A LiDAR three-dimensional point cloud (3DPC) data processing graphical user interface (GUI) was developed to explore the z0 and related urban canopy parameters (UCPs) in the Incheon metropolitan area in South Korea. The results show that multi-scale urban aerodynamic roughness exploration is viable and can address differences in urban building data at various spatial resolutions. Although validating morphological multi-scale UCPs using dense tall towers is challenging, emerging low-cost and efficient methods can serve as substitutes. However, further efforts are required to link the measured z0 to building form regulations, such as floor area ratio, and expand RS research to obtain more quantitative and qualitative knowledge.

Landscape classification with self-organizing map using user participation and environmental data: the case of the Seoul Metropolitan Area

This study aimed to develop a method for assessing landscapes using environmental data and user-generated data, which are commonly employed in landscape research. It focused on the Seoul metropolitan area in South Korea, devising evaluation indicators for five key concepts: naturalness, diversity, imageability, historicity, and disturbance. These indicators were used to assess the landscapes based on each index. We employed a self-organizing map, an artificial neural network technique, to categorize the landscape units and developed eight evaluation indicators for the five key concepts, organizing the study area’s landscapes into six distinct landscape units. This study identified landscape unit types with increased vulnerability to visual blight or heightened public awareness by considering both user characteristics and environmental attributes in the metropolitan area landscapes. Finally, we discussed future tasks for appropriate landscape management based on each landscape area’s characteristics to maintain and enhance landscape quality.

Characteristics of Atmospheric Pollutants in Paddy and Dry Field Regions: Analyzing the Oxidative Potential of Biomass Burning

This study aimed to identify the characteristics of atmospheric pollutants emitted by agricultural activities and to evaluate factors that may cause harm to human health. For the research, atmospheric pollutants were measured over the course of a year in representative rice farming and field crop farming areas in South Korea. The results confirmed that the characteristics of atmospheric pollutants in agricultural areas are influenced by the nature of agricultural activities. Specifically, when comparing rice paddies and field crop areas, during summer, the correlation between oxidative potential and levoglucosan—a marker for biomass burning—weakens due to less burning activity in the rice-growing season, leading to lower oxidative potential despite different PM2.5 across areas. The study also finds that methyl sulfonic acid, indicating marine influence, plays a big role in keeping oxidative potential low in summer. This suggests that the main causes of PM2.5-related health risks in the area are from biomass burning and external sources, with burning being a significant factor in increasing oxidative potential. Based on these results, it is hoped that measures can be taken in the future to reduce atmospheric pollutants in agricultural areas.

Can Ensemble Techniques and Large-Scale Fire Datasets Improve Predictions of Forest Fire Probability Due to Climate Change?—A Case Study from the Republic of Korea

The frequency of forest fires worldwide has increased recently due to climate change, leading to severe and widespread damage. In this study, we investigate potential changes in the fire susceptibility of areas in South Korea arising from climate change. We constructed a dataset of large-scale forest fires from the past decade and employed it in machine learning models that integrate climatic, socioeconomic, and environmental variables to assess the risk of forest fires. According to the results of these models, the eastern region is identified as highly vulnerable to forest fires during the baseline period, while the western region is classified as relatively safe. However, in the future, certain areas along the western coast are predicted to become more susceptible to forest fires. Consequently, as climate change continues, the risk of domestic forest fires is expected to increase, leading to the need for proactive prevention measures and careful management. This study contributes to the understanding of forest fire occurrences under diverse climate scenarios.

Heterogeneous public preferences for undergrounding high-voltage power transmission lines: The case of Seoul metropolitan area in South Korea

Local residents generally do not prefer the installation and operation of power infrastructure because of the perceived economic, health, environmental, and landscape risks associated with it. This study investigates public preferences for undergrounding high-voltage power transmission lines, which is a popular option to cope with conflicts related to transmission infrastructure. Undergrounding refers to burying overhead transmission lines underground. However, undergrounding projects are costly, making it difficult for local governments to conduct by themselves. Therefore, national-level support is required to conduct undergrounding of transmission lines. When national funds are used, considering heterogeneous public preferences is important, as the public may have a polarized preference towards the policy. This study utilized the choice experiment and consumer choice model to investigate public preferences for priorities and details of the high-voltage transmission line undergrounding policy. The latent class logit model, which incorporates preference heterogeneity by grouping the samples into a few classes, was utilized to investigate heterogeneous public preferences. Consequently, four distinct classes with different preference structures were identified. The results show that strong heterogeneity was observed, especially in the priority area for undergrounding. Moreover, heterogeneous public preferences were associated with the key demographics of respondents and perceptions towards transmission infrastructure.

‘미치노에키(道の駅)’의 지역 내 역할에 대한 탐색적 연구

Purpose: The researcher, with academic interest in the operation of 1,209 Michi-no-Eki facilities over 30 years, conducted an investigation into six Michi-no-Eki locations in the Kyushu region of Japan. The study focused extensively on exploring the actual role of Michi-no-Eki in the local context. Based on this, the researcher aims to examine the potential of Michi-no-Eki as a category within the realm of local tourism and regional revitalization platforms.
 Methods: The researcher analyzed the significant differences between highway rest areas in South Korea and Japan's Michi-no-eki by conducting on-site surveys, including data on Japanese Michi-no-eki, and interviewing stakeholders, planners, and tourists.
 Results: The differences between highway rest areas in South Korea and Japan's Michi-no-eki were identified. Michi-no-eki serves as a hub for local creation by utilizing local specialties and tourism resources to increase interaction among populations, fulfilling the role of tourism that satisfies both tourists and local residents. In other words, Michi-no-eki is perceived and utilized as a hub for regional revitalization and tourism, rather than merely as rest stops for transportation facilities, making significant contributions to local communities.
 Conclusion: Visiting Michi-no-eki leads tourists to engage in various services such as purchasing local specialties or obtaining tourism information, while serving local residents in providing public information and acting as local hub facilities. Michi-no-eki can be viewed as a form of sustainable tourism that satisfies both tourists and local residents. Such a platform would ultimately become the ultimate goal that open-style highway rest areas should aim for.

Prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli in the feces of free-roaming wildlife throughout South Korea.

Wildlife can carry pathogenic organisms, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi, which can spread to humans and cause mild to serious illnesses and even death. Spreading through animal feces, these pathogens significantly contributes to the global burden of human diseases. Therefore, the present study investigated the prevalence of zoonotic bacterial pathogens, such as Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), in animal feces. Between September 2015 and August 2017, 699 wildlife fecal samples were collected from various agricultural production regions and mountainous areas in South Korea. Fecal samples were collected from wild mammals (85.26%, 596/699) and birds (14.73%, 103/699). Salmonella spp. and E. coli were present in 3% (21/699) and 45.63% (319/699) of the samples, respectively. Moreover, virulence genes stx1 and both stx1 and stx2 were detected in 13.30% (93/699) and 0.72% (5/699) of the samples, respectively. The 21 Salmonella spp. were detected in badgers (n = 5), leopard cats (n = 7), wild boars (n = 2), and magpies (n = 7); STEC was detected in roe deer, water deer, mice, and wild boars. Through phylogenetic and gene-network analyses, the Salmonella spp. isolates (n = 21 laboratory isolates, at least one isolate from each Salmonella-positive animal fecal sample, and n = 6 widely prevalent reference Salmonella serovars) were grouped into two major lineages: S. enterica subsp. enterica and S. enterica subsp. diarizonae. Similarly, 93 E. coli isolates belonged to stx1, including three major lineages (groups 1-3), and stx1 and stx2 detected groups. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a wild leopard cat serving as a reservoir for Salmonella spp. in South Korea. The research findings can help manage the potential risk of wildlife contamination and improve precautionary measures to protect public health.

Evaluating the effects of the 2017 National Health Insurance coverage expansion on amenable mortality and its disparities between areas in South Korea using Bayesian structural time-series models

To improve the low coverage rate of the National Health Insurance (NHI), South Korea implemented the NHI coverage expansion plan in 2017 to cover medically essential non-covered services and reduce copayment rates. This study aimed to estimate the effects of the 2017 NHI coverage expansion on amenable mortality and its disparities between areas in South Korea under a controlled interrupted time-series design using Bayesian structural time-series models. Age-standardized amenable mortality rates and rate differences (RDs) and rate ratios (RRs) between areas for amenable mortality were calculated monthly between July 2012 and December 2021 and used as the response series. The non-equivalent control series were monthly non-avoidable mortality rates and their regional disparities. After the coverage expansion, amenable mortality rates decreased for both males (−8.8%, 95% credible interval [CrI] −13.4% to −3.9%) and females (−8.3%, 95% CrI −13.4% to −2.4%), with the largest decline in the non-Seoul-Capital metropolitan area (−11.6%, 95% CrI −16.5% to −6.3%) rather than the Seoul Capital Area (−7.5%, 95% CrI −11.9% to −2.5%) and a non-significant reduction in the non-Seoul-Capital non-metropolitan area in females. RDs and RRs between areas for amenable mortality decreased non-significantly (−16.2%, 95% CrI −31.3% to 2.6% for RD and −1.2%, 95% CrI −3.7% to 1.5% for RR), except for a significant decrease in RD in males (−21.8%, 95% CrI −38.0% to −1.5%), and decreased less in females than in males. The coverage expansion was generally effective in reducing amenable mortality rates by area, but had limited effects in closing amenable mortality disparities between areas, favoring males and the non-Seoul-Capital metropolitan area. These results implied that additional measures are necessary to improve access to quality health care for females and underserved areas to enhance the effectiveness of the coverage expansion.

Analysis of digital capacity-related factors influencing health promotion participation and active aging of older adults residing in rural areas in South Korea: A structural equation model.

This study aimed to identify the correlation between digital capacity, health promotion participation, and active aging of older people living in rural areas in South Korea to assess the factors influencing participation in programs for health promotion and active aging. Data were collected through a 1:1 face-to-face survey using a structured questionnaire from 13 February to 24 February 2023 during the older individuals' visits in the senior citizen welfare centers and senior citizen centers in the region. The Measuring Digital Skills questionnaire used to assess the digital competence of South Korean individuals was employed in this study. To confirm the structural relationship between digital capacity and health promotion participation and active aging in the older population aged 65 years and older based on the collected data, a structural equation modeling analysis was performed. Active health promotion participation had a positive effect on active aging. The pathway that older adults in Korea can led to participation in health promotion and active aging in the current situation is not mainly through the digital competency whereas mobile internet skill showed positive influneces. In the digital era and super-aged society, various programs are provided to older individuals to enhance the utilization of smartphones. However, education and programs for strengthening digital capacity should be organized to explain the advantages of digital use and to inform of the dangers of addiction to ensure healthy aging through social participation and exchange both online and offline.

예비유아교사의 진정성이 소명의식, 숙달목표성향 및 학업크래프팅을 매개로 학문적 창의성에 미치는 영향

This study examined the effects of cognitive psychological factors that affect preliminary early childhood teachers’ scholarly creativity and the mediating effects of calling, mastery goal orientation, and study crafting in the relationships between authenticity and scholarly creativity. The participants were 220 preliminary early childhood teachers at G university in G area of South Korea. We measured the authenticity, calling, mastery goal orientation, study crafting, and scholarly creativity of preliminary teachers. The collected data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling. The results showed that authenticity of preliminary early childhood teachers significantly influenced calling and mastery goal orientation, and their calling significantly influenced mastery goal orientation and study crafting. The effect of mastery goal orientation on study crafting and the effect of study crafting on scholarly creativity were significant. In addition, the effect of preliminary teachers’ authenticity on scholarly creativity successively mediated by calling and study crafting were significant. The effect of their authenticity on scholarly creativity successively mediated by mastery goal orientation and study crafting were also significant. Finally, preliminary teachers’ authenticity significantly influenced scholarly creativity successively mediated by calling, mastery goal orientation, and study crafting. Academic and practical implications and directions for future study were suggested.

GIS 기반 로컬상권의 성장에 따른 상권특성 변화

With the increasing interest in neighborhoods, the concept of “local” has emerged as a new economic force in the small business industry. In this context, the purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of changes in local business districts as they grow, and to provide valuable data for site selection and industry choices, which are crucial for small business startups. Initially, we explored the changes in population and stores over five years (2017, 2022) in Hong-dae and Seong-su business districts, which are representative local areas in South Korea. Population factors included the number of young adults, the number of single-person households, and the floating population. Store information included restaurant addresses, specific business types, and opening/closing dates, which were analyzed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The population factors of the Seong-su business district, which is in a period of local growth, all increased, and stores concentrated around the initial formation point of the local district and expanded into alleys. In terms of business type, there was a significant increase in the proportion of cafes, western food, Japanese food, and sentimental bars. In contrast, in the Hong-dae business district, where localization has already been activated, there has been no significant change in the resident population and specific business type. However, the concentration of stores has spread more widely to alleys and non-core areas. Therefore, small business owners who start a local business should base their decisions on the characteristics of changes as the local business district grows. They should consider factors such as the influx of the youth population when choosing a location and a type of business for successful operation.

Environmental degradation in the Korean Peninsula: Evidence from the environmental degradation index

Effectively evaluating environmental degradation in the Korean Peninsula is of great significance for promoting sustainable development in Northeast Asia. However, previous studies mostly focused on single environmental element, which could not comprehensively and effectively reveal the environmental degradation dynamics. In this study, we aimed to reveal and analyze the environmental degradation in the Korean Peninsula from 2000 to 2022 using the Environmental Degradation Index (EDI) developed by considering multiple environmental elements. The results indicated that the environment of the Korean Peninsula exhibited a significantly degraded trend, with the degraded area (65,118.75 km2) accounting for approximately 29.96 % of the entire peninsula during 2000–2022. The North Korean environment showed a significant degradation trend, while the environmental conditions in South Korea have shown a trend of improvement. By comparing these two countries, North Korea has undergone more significant environmental degradation. The environmentally degraded area of North Korea was 37,142.75 km2, which was 1.33 times that of the degraded area in South Korea. Cropland expansion and forest loss were major causes of environmental deterioration in North Korea. North Korea and South Korea could strengthen intergovernmental environmental cooperation to promote sustainable development on the Korean Peninsula as well as Northeast Asia.

Physicochemical characteristics and seasonal variations of PM2.5 in urban, industrial, and suburban areas in South Korea

Among countries that are a part of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, South Korea is the most exposed to PM2.5. Despite the country having implemented various strategies to limit PM2.5 emissions, its concentrations are still high enough to pose serious environmental and health concerns. Herein, we monitored various physiochemical properties of PM2.5 across different regions in South Korea from January 1 to December 31, 2021. Specifically, the study area consisted of the city center, industrial complexes, and suburban areas. Before analyzing dynamics of emissions specific to each site, the Clean Air Policy Support System data for the three areas were compared to elucidate their respective primary emission sources. The particle concentrations for the three areas were 21.8–26.44 µg/m3, with the highest concentrations being observed in March. All the three areas exhibited high ratios of NO3− across all seasons. The particle number concentrations in the three sites were 1.3–1.5 × 107, and the peak points of the concentrations were different in every site: city center (40 nm), industrial complexes (60 nm), and suburban areas (80 nm). We also conducted potential source contribution function and conditional bivariate probability function analyses. These analyses were conducted to determine the inflow direction of the pollution sources for high PM2.5 episodes. For the episodes that occurred in spring and winter, there were no differences in the PM2.5 concentrations between the three sites. Overall, the insights gained from this study offer a framework for developing air-quality management policies in South Korea, specifically in the context of PM2.5 emissions.

Do Public-Led Housing Site Development Projects Affect Local Housing Prices: A Proposal for a Comprehensive Policy Evaluation Methodology

As the population in urban areas increases, the importance of adequate public-led development policies for sustainable cities with affordable housing is becoming more highlighted. In this regard, this study aims to determine the effectiveness of public-led urban development policies for sustainable growth in urban areas, specifically measuring the effect of housing site development projects on housing prices. The geographical scope of the study is the project sites and their surrounding areas in South Korea, and the temporal background is from 2006 to 2023. The project sites were subdivided into four groups by using the Self-Organization Map (SOM), a machine-learning-based clustering analysis, to collect characteristics of each region. Then, the impact of the policy and the prediction of the real estate market of each cluster were analyzed by applying the DID and LSTM models, which have recently been proven to show a high validity. The results show that each cluster had different characteristics and effects from the development projects, depending not simply on the location, but on several characteristics, including the level of size, infrastructure installation, input cost, etc. Furthermore, it is expected for future studies that more detailed research should be conducted with larger datasets of the regional characteristics.

Comparative energy analysis of cooling energy performance between conventional and hybrid air source internet data center cooling system

The widespread need for data processing has led to an increase in internet data centers (IDCs), contributing to the generation of high heat loads and high energy usage. This study discusses a simulation model of a newly proposed cooling system applied to data centers for five selected climatic areas in South Korea. Using experimental data of the newly proposed system, performance correlations are developed by regression analysis method to estimate performance curve coefficients for energy modelling and simulation to predict the annual energy performance of the system and compare the performance with that of a conventional cooling system. The results showed an overall annual average energy efficiency of approximately 14.1% of the hybrid cooling system over the conventional cooling system. The mean seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) for the hybrid system and the conventional system is approximately 6.7 and 4.9 respectively for all cases in the winter period while a SCOP of 3.2 and 3.7 respectively for the summer period.

Comparative Morphology of Island and Inland Agastache rugosa and Their Gastroprotective Effects in EtOH/HCl-Induced Gastric Mucosal Gastritis.

Agastache rugosa Kuntze (Lamiaceae; Labiatae), a medicinal and functional herb used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, grows well both on islands and inland areas in South Korea. Thus, we aimed to reveal the morphological and micromorphological differences between A.rugosa grown on island and inland areas and their pharmacological effects on gastritis in an animal model by combining morphological and mass spectrophotometric analyses. Morphological analysis showed that island A.rugosa had slightly smaller plants and leaves than inland plants; however, the density of all types of trichomes on the leaves, petioles, and stems of island A.rugosa was significantly higher than that of inland plants. The essential oil component analysis revealed that pulegone levels were substantially higher in island A.rugosa than in inland A.rugosa. Despite the differences between island and inland A.rugosa, treatment with both island and inland A.rugosa reduced gastric damages by more than 40% compared to the gastritis induction group. In addition, expression of inflammatory protein was reduced by about 30% by treatment of island and inland A.rugosa. The present study demonstrates quantitative differences in morphology and volatile components between island and inland plants; significant differences were not observed between the gastritis-inhibitory effects of island and inland A.rugosa, and the efficacy of island A.rugosa was found to be similar to that of A.rugosa grown in inland areas.