Changes In South Korea Research Articles

The track of policies for educational equality and its implications in Korea

Most countries have taken equality of education as a paramount issue, but policy initiatives have not taken the same patterns across the nations. This paper addressed the features of equality policies and their changes in South Korea through an array of target groups and types of policy measures. According to a contingency approach, Korea relied critically on non-financial instruments characteristic of regulations, when the government was not financially well prepared for equalizing opportunities. It also gave a serious consideration to out-of-school factors besides school characteristics, because the equality policy confined to schools is destined to have only so little meaning. Regulations on the advantaged group were introduced along with preferential treatment for the disadvantaged in pursuit of equality. Now Korea is in transition from outside-in movements to inside-out improvements in the process of ensuring equality, and it means that the alternatives of equality policies have become dramatically narrowed. Recently, the Korean model is facing challenges from courts and constituents who advocate for constitutional rights to free choices of education.

시공간 정보기반 산림 생태계의 기후변화 취약성 평가

The purpose of this study was to assess the vulnerability of forest ecosystem to climate change in South Korea using socio-environmental indicators and the results of two vegetation models named as Hydrological and Thermal Analogy Group(HyTAG), and MAPSS-Century 1(MC1). The changing frequency and direction of biome types estimated by HyTAG model was used for quantifying sensitivity and adaptive capacity of forest distribution. Similarly, the variation and changing tendency of net primary production and soil carbon storage estimated by MC1 model was used for quantifying sensitivity and adaptive capacity of forest function. As socio-environmental indicators, many statistical data such as financial autonomy rate and the number of forestry officer was prepared. All indicators were standardized, and then calculated using the vulnerability assessment equation. The period of vulnerability assessment was divided into the past(1971-2000) and the future(2021-2050). To understand what policy has a priority to climate change, distribution maps of each indicators was depicted and the vulnerability results were compared among administrative districts. Evident differences could be found in entire study area. These differences were mostly derived from regionalspecific adaptive capacity. The result and methodology of this study would be helpful for the development of decision-making supporting system and policy making in forest management with respect to climate change.

Let the Games Begin

This article discusses the political role of the Olympic Games and its implications on the hosting country’s political and social life by analysing two cases—South Korea (1988) and Mexico (1968). Contrary to the belief that the games were created as an event that transcends politics, this study concludes that Olympic Games have been and are used as a political tool for various purposes and specific political circumstances eventually influenced the selection of Mexico’s and South Korea’s priorities for national development. Moreover, the findings of this article demonstrate that the Olympic Games served as a catalyst accelerating democratic changes in South Korea, and this finding can be applied to heuristic analysis of the future Olympic Games.

From Latecomer to Forerunner in Global FTA Networks: A Change in South Korea’s FTA Policy

이 논문은 1990년대 후반부터 2000년대 후반까지 한국 FTA 정책의 변화를 살펴본다. 기존의 수세적, 추격자형, 역내지향적, 그리고 우회접근형 FTA 정책은 2005년 미국과의 FTA 시도를 기점으로 공세적, 선발자형, 역외지향적, 그리고 (거대시장) 직접접근형 FTA 정책으로 변화하게 되었다. 이러한 변화는 기존 정책의 자연적. 점진적 전화라기보다는 질적, 급진적 정책 변화로 이해되어야 한다. 정책변화의 동인은 국제적, (동아시아) 지역적, 그리고 국내적으로 각각 살펴볼 수 있는데, 전세계적 차원에서 두드러지게 나타나고 있는 지역초월자유무역협정의 확산현상, 동아시아 국가들의 실질적인 자유무역협정 체결에 대한 비관적 인식, 그리고 개방통상정책/국가경쟁력 강화 등 국내정책의 공고화를 위한 같은 동기 등이 복합적으로 작용하고 있다고 할 것이다. 한국의 역외 거대국과의 FTA는 동아시아 FTA에 걸림돌이 되기보다는 양자적, 지역적 FTA가 공존, 경쟁하는 동아시아의 복잡한 FTA 네트워크를 형성하는데 기여하게 될 것이다.

Culture and Democratic Identity in South Korea: Contemporary Trends

Once, optimism abounded with the democratic project, particularly in the wake of Cold War collapse. Academics and policy‐makers suggested that democracy was an inevitable spread of liberal ideals and institutions. Democratic change in South Korea since 1987 represented this optimism. More recently this liberal optimism has come in the form of South Korean multiculturalism. This is linked to democratization as institutionalizing the rights of individuals and ethnic minorities. In order to understand the prospects of South Korean democracy in an age of globalization, attention needs to be focused on the relationship between the changing forms of cultural identity, questions of cultural security and democratization. This also means a rethinking of the “Asian” values versus “Western values” debate. Reengaging with the current tensions of changing cultural identity in South Korea may set the terms for future debates on the site and nature of democracy in South Korea.

Educating Citizens in a Multicultural Society: The Case of South Korea

South Korean society is in transition toward a multicultural society. Integrating multicultural education into current citizenship education is challenging for the society. Historically, many national tragedies have created the unique characteristics of what being Korean means. South Korean social studies curriculum emphasized that Korea is a monolithic society with one language, one history, and one ethnicity. In recent years, however, the number of foreigners living in South Korea dramatically increases because of work, study, and marriage. As they become be members of Korean society, it is necessary that South Koreans acknowledge diverse groups in the society and revise a long-held belief about who we, as Koreans, are. To this end, the Korean social studies curriculum should include more information about as well as respect and promote ethnic, cultural, and social diversity. Social studies teachers should attempt various activities to promote students’ understanding of current social changes in South Korea.

Estimate of Burden of Disease Attributable to Climate Change in South Korea

ISEE-0693 Background and Objective: It has been widely recognized that climate changes are posing for human health. On the other hand, the burden of diseases from climate change has not been studied actively. The aim of this study was to estimate the burden of five infectious diseases attributable to climate change. Methods: The burden of five infectious diseases–leptospirosis, malaria, shigellosis, vibrio vulnificus sepsis, tsutsugamushi fever–due to climate change was estimated by using DALY (Disability Adjusted Life-Year). For the calculation of the DALYs, the following parameters were estimated: prevalence rate, disability weight and duration of each disease. To estimate the prevalence rate of infectious diseases, this study used National Health Insurance utilization data and the nationwide Automatic Weather System during 2005∼2007 in South Korea. Results: When considering future population change, the burden of disease varied to age groups and the type of diseases. Absolute amount of disease burden was higher in the adults, but those of children and young adults (under 35) relatively increased due to decrease of population size of those groups. The order of future burden of disease was estimated tsutsugamushi fever, malaria, shigellosis, vibrio vulnificus sepsis, and leptospirosis. The DALYs of tsutsugamushi fever, malaria, shigellosis, vibrio vulnificus sepsis and leptospirosis was 1.7314, 0.4493, 0.2480, 0.1514, 0.1478, respectively when the yearly average temperature increased 1 degree Celcius. Conclusion: Despite the significance of the burden of disease due to climate change, strategies and researches required in this regard are only in their beginning stages in South Korea. As one of the most prominent and prompt preparations, burden of disease attracted the popular. The findings were expected to contribute to priority setting and effective resource allocation in public health policy.

Human rotavirus genotypes in hospitalized children, South Korea, April 2005 to March 2007

Availability of new rotavirus vaccines highlights the need to maintain and enhance rotavirus strain surveillance. We collected stool samples from children with gastroenteritis admitted to eight hospitals in South Korea from April 2005 to March 2007. Of the 6057 samples collected, 1337 (22%) were positive for rotavirus by one of several antigen detection assays. G and P genotypes were identified for 1299 (97%) of rotavirus-positive specimens. G1P[8] (36%) was the most prevalent strain, followed by G3P[8] (16%), G4P[6] (8.9%) and G1P[6] (8.2%). G1P[8] was also the most prevalent strain in each hospital. Seasonal peaks of rotavirus infection were noted from November 2005 to April 2006 and January to March 2007. This large-scale surveillance study provides important insights into rotavirus genotype distribution and pattern changes in South Korea.

South Korea's De Facto Abolition of the Death Penalty

While the Asian region remains an exception to the global trend towards the abolition of capital punishment, South Korea, which has suspended executions for the past ten years, draws attention to the question of why and how defacto abolition has happened in this country. The purpose of this article is to explain the change in South Korea's death penalty practice, which is largely associated with the development of democratic values and human rights. Who are the leading figures in constructing and advancing abolitionist discourse and efforts in South Korean society? What are the major rationales for their advocacy? What significance does the possibility of South Korea's formal abolition have in terms of Asia's ongoing practice of the death penalty? This article seeks some answers to these questions, focusing on South Korea's recent abolitionist movement. The trend towards worldwide abolition of the death penalty is clear. As of May 2009, the number of countries that have ended capital punishment in law or practice (139) exceeds the number (58) that retain it.1 Among the 58 retentionist countries, only 24 actually carried out executions in 2007. Countries that continue to carry out executions today do so mostly for murder, although they may retain the death penalty in law for other crimes. The rate of executions in most such countries has declined to a point where it represents only a tiny fraction in relation to the number of reported murders. Many intergovernmental organizations and human rights organizations view the death penalty as one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time and take an active role in persuading countries to halt executions. The European Union and the Council of Europe have become increasingly vocal in their criticism of states that retain it. Over time, the international human rights norm that prohibits the death penalty has become stronger, more specific, and more subject to pressure from across national boundaries. Both the European Union and the Council of Europe have explicitly demanded abolition of the death penalty as a formal, non-negotiable condition of membership. North and South America would be practically death-penalty

Emerging Challenges to the Public Capacity in the Era of Evolving Public Administration: Toward Collaborative Public Management

New paradigms of public administration have been introduced in government in order to cure administrative ills around the world. Various trajectories of public sector reforms have been actively introduced in many countries and the benefit of shifting to new paradigms of public administration has been well documented. However, the cost or the consequence of public sector reforms remains understudied. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to deal with the consequences of the paradigm change of public administration and government reform because the author sees that the public capacity has declined or at least not improved in recent years while a wide range of innovations have been carried out by many governments under the New Public Management and governance perspectives. This article first looks at the evolution of public administration and its implication, followed by a discussion on government reform and its unintended consequences, and governance change in South Korea. Then various issues on new challenges such as the lack of the public capacity, and new tasks such as capacity building and calls for curriculum development, will be elaborated, followed by conclusions.

Rapidly increasing diabetes-related mortality with socio-environmental changes in South Korea during the last two decades

Diabetes mellitus is the result of complex interactions involving many genes and environmental factors, and rapid socio-environmental changes have been strongly associated with the development of diabetes. In this study, we examined the trends in diabetes mortality and associated socio-environmental changes that have occurred in South Korea over the last 20 years. Data from a national database and government reports for the years from 1983 to 2001 were analyzed. The data included mortality, socio-economic changes, physical activity and dietary pattern indicators. Deaths from diabetes per 100,000 people increased from 5.3 in 1983 to 18.4 in 2001. Along with increasing diabetes-related mortality, many socio-economic indices (gross domestic production, proportion of tertiary industry and urbanization rate), proxies for physical activity (numbers of cars and time spent watching television) and diet indices (animal protein intake and fat intake) showed remarkable changes. To counter increasing prevalence of diabetes and its related mortality in South Korea, multidirectional efforts including lifestyle modification should be mandatory features of future public health policy.

Effects of High-Speed Rail Service on Shares of Intercity Passenger Ridership in South Korea

Korean Train Express (KTX), the South Korean high-speed rail system, began offering commercial service in 2004. Although actual ridership rates have been approximately half those originally estimated, the number of KTX users has steadily increased. In addition, introduction of KTX has created significant changes in South Korea's intercity travel system. This paper describes changes in numbers of passenger trips for different travel modes and changes in modal shares of intercity passenger ridership between Seoul and other major cities. The total number of railway passengers and total rail shares increased between Seoul and cities with KTX service. Express bus ridership and numbers of air passengers decreased considerably on the Gyeongbu (Seoul–Busan) corridor. Modal shares of intercity passenger ridership were theoretically consistent in regard to the competitiveness level of each travel mode for trips between Seoul and the cities on the Gyeongbu corridor with direct KTX service. Results showed that the automobile is a significant travel mode for trips of short to medium distances and that KTX is the major travel mode for medium- to long-distance trips.

Effects of High-Speed Rail Service on Shares of Intercity Passenger Ridership in South Korea

Korean Train Express (KTX), the South Korean high-speed rail system, began offering commercial service in 2004. Although actual ridership rates have been approximately half those originally estimated, the number of KTX users has steadily increased. In addition, introduction of KTX has created significant changes in South Korea's intercity travel system. This paper describes changes in numbers of passenger trips for different travel modes and changes in modal shares of intercity passenger ridership between Seoul and other major cities. The total number of railway passengers and total rail shares increased between Seoul and cities with KTX service. Express bus ridership and numbers of air passengers decreased considerably on the Gyeongbu (Seoul-Busan) corridor. Modal shares of intercity passenger ridership were theoretically consistent in regard to the competitiveness level of each travel mode for trips between Seoul and the cities on the Gyeongbu corridor with direct KTX service. Results showed that the au...

South Korean mothers’ beliefs regarding aggression and social withdrawal in preschoolers

South Korean mothers’ reactions to preschoolers’ aggression and social withdrawal were examined within a cultural framework. With recent social, political, and cultural changes in South Korea, there appears to be a conflict between traditional values and the Confucian heritage on one hand, and Western influence on the other. Mothers ( N = 81) of preschoolers from Seoul reported their emotional reactions, causal attributions, socialization strategies, and socialization goals that were endorsed in response to these behaviors. Mothers reacted with negative emotions to both child aggression and social withdrawal, with more anger, disgust and embarrassment for aggression. Mothers also believed that aggression was due to external causes, and less stable than social withdrawal. High-powered and directive strategies were provided more often in response to aggression than social withdrawal, whereas lower-powered/indirect strategies were favored for social withdrawal over aggression. Finally, mothers were more likely to suggest parent- and social-centered goals for aggression, and child-centered goals for social withdrawal, indicating the increasing influence of westernized child developmental information on South Korean mothers. The significance of changing cultural norms and conventions in South Korean mothers’ perceptions and evaluations of maladaptive behaviors in children was supported.

How Does Democratic Regime Change Affect Mass Political Ideology? A Case Study of South Korea in Comparative Perspective

This article explores the ideological dynamics of democratic regime change in South Korea from a comparative perspective. Analyzing national sample surveys conducted during the first decade of democratic rule, we find that the democratization of the country’s right-wing dictatorship has resulted in a movement of many South Koreans from the right to the left on the ideological spectrum. However, many of the South Koreans who have shifted their position on the spectrum have done so without changing their thinking about what “the left” and “the right” represent. This particular pattern of ideological dynamics that features change in identification, but continuity in content, confirms two distinct theories. As expected from the theory of democratic human development, democratization provided South Koreans with a wide array of legal rights allowing them to think freely. As expected from the theory of political socialization, however, the content of the thinking retains an old, authoritarian conception of rule. Unlike the democratization of political institutions, which can be achieved in a few years, the democratization of mass political thinking appears to be an intergenerational phenomenon that requires more than a decade for completion.

A View from Asia: The North Korean Missile Threat and Missile Defense in the Context of South Korea's Changing National Security Debate

This article examines the current state of the national security debate in South Korea in the context of rapid democratization, a growing desire on the part of South Korea to pursue a more balanced and independent foreign policy posture even as it retains its core alliance with the United States, and the confluence of political and strategic forces that have combined to create unprecedented change in South Korea's security perceptions. While the missile defense issue continues to remain as a relatively minor facet of South Korea's overall national security debate, it illustrates the extent to which South Korean views have shifted since the end of the Cold War but particularly since the advent of the Kim Dae Jung government (1998–2003) and continuing well into the administration of Roh Moo Hyun. Specifically, the article traces the changing contours of South Korea's national security paradigm, Seoul's “New Thinking” on key foreign policy and national security issues, the missile threat and missile defense, and on-going efforts to modernize the U.S.-ROK alliance.

‘Domestic Bank-Centered’ Financial Liberalization: Origin, Crisis, and Response

Existing explanations of international financial liberalization tend to understate the economic and political importance of related policies governing domestic financial markets. Further, these approaches often fail to specify fully the links between the international economy and domestic politics. Initial financial liberalization is often ‘domestic bank-centered’, i.e. it preserves a privileged position for weakly regulated domestic banks as the capital account is opened. On the other hand, there is much greater variation in later-stage financial policy developments, particularly following banking or currency crises. Adequate explanations should be able to explain, not just the initial pattern of financial liberalization, but also subsequent policy developments. This paper's main refinement is to explore the nature and implications of ‘dispersed’ interest group preferences. Initially more passive, poorly organized dispersed groups are viewed as the key link between the economic effects of crisis and variation in crisis-response policies. The explanatory value-added is explored through case studies of financial sector policy change in South Korea, Mexico, and Hungary.

Revisions of the Fair Trade Act and Chaebol Structural Change in South Korea

Revisions of the Fair Trade Act and Chaebol Structural Change in South Korea

Structural Changes in South Korea's Rental Housing Market: The Rise and Fall of the Jeonse System

Abstract Jeonse is a dominant and unique tenure of South Korea. Contrary to home sale prices that repeatedly go up and down, the cost of jeonse deposit has been rising rapidly to the extent that it threatens the tenure security of low-income families. Furthermore, under the current low interest rate policy, landlords are increasingly turning away from jeonse to monthly rental for higher monetary yields. This paper aims to identify factors that contribute to the rise and fall of the jeonse system and its eventual shift towards monthly renting. It touches upon the major issues facing the South Korean housing sector, including the changing economic environment of housing tenure, tenure security for low-income households, and the streamlining of the rental market. The Jeonse debate is concerned with the South Korea's rental housing market restructuration, which includes: the recovery from the rapid fall of jeonse prices during the 1997 financial crisis, the demand resulting from the reconstruction of large ap...

What Difference a Crisis? Continuity and Change in South Korea's Foreign Economic Policy

This paper examines pre-crisis and post-crisis developments in Korea's foreign economic policy (FEP). In undertaking this exercise, it constructs a framework of FEP analysis within which these developments are studied. Korea's own 1997-8 financial crisis heightened pressures upon the country to introduce far-reaching policy reforms and structural economic adjustment. This pressure was partly formalized by the terms and conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) 'bailout' programme. These and other crisis-related pressures were expected to make a profound impact on the structure, conduct and process of Korean FEP, which up to the crisis had been primarily orientated by neo-mercantilist principles. However, this paper argues that various sources of resistance pertaining to certain structural economic and socio-cultural factors will make these principles more resilient than commonly thought. Furthermore, the relative significance of continuity overchange in Korea's FEP is contended generally. It isalso argued that wider lessons can be drawn here, particularly relating to the resilience of the developmental state.