Korean Perspective Research Articles

Co-creation and brand happiness: insights from a Korean perspective

PurposeExtant literature has extensively explored the factors driving consumer emotions. This study aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse by elucidating the influence of co-creation on consumer emotions. Specifically, this investigation seeks to probe how co-creation activities, orchestrated by firms, impact consumers' emotional experiences, with a particular emphasis on brand happiness. By addressing this research gap, the author aims to shed light on the understudied domain of co-creation's effects on consumer emotions, notably brand happiness, a subject that warrants further investigation in prior scholarly works.Design/methodology/approachUsing surveys as the primary data collection method, the author assesses consumer perceptions, emotions and brand social responsibility. The initial study aims to discern the mediating role of brand social responsibility in the link between co-creation and brand happiness. Subsequently, the second study evaluates the moderating effect of brand social responsibility in the relationship between co-creation and brand happiness. These systematic investigations enable us to uncover the intricate dynamics between co-creation, brand social responsibility and consumers' emotional experiences, culminating in a deeper understanding of the phenomena at play.FindingsThe empirical findings of this study unveil the substantial impact of co-creation on consumers' brand happiness. Engaging in co-creation with a brand leads to a notable elevation in consumers' perceptions of the brand's social responsibility. Importantly, this heightened perception of brand social responsibility positively influences their emotional affinity toward the brand, resulting in increased happiness. Furthermore, this investigation sheds light on an intriguing aspect – the role of an individual's personal expressiveness. It accentuates how personal expressiveness acts as an augmenting factor, strengthening the effect of co-creation on brand happiness.Originality/valueThis research addresses the relatively underexplored topic of brand happiness, which constitutes a fundamental aspect of consumers' experiences. By shedding light on the intricate interplay between co-creation, consumer emotions and happiness, this research introduces an essential theoretical framework that emphasizes the pivotal role of co-creation in driving consumer emotional experiences and overall happiness. As such, this study presents a comprehensive and valuable contribution to the growing body of knowledge in consumer behavior and marketing.

Factors Shaping Exercise Patterns and Health Status among the Elderly in Aging Nations: A South Korean Perspective.

The global phenomenon of population aging requires an understanding of the factors influencing the health of the elderly becomes imperative. We aimed to focus on South Korea, a nation set to become an aging society by 2025. The study examined the influence of regular exercise and exercise types on the health of the elderly with particular attention to South Korea's unique sociodemographic context. We targeted individuals aged 50 yr and above. The study was conducted through online surveys from August to September 2023. Utilizing Logistic Regression analysis and Chi-Square tests, the research explored correlations, trends, and influencing factors affecting elderly exercise behaviors, encompassing demographic variables, health status, and exercise types. The analysis of demographic characteristics revealed that marital status, education level, and financial status displayed diverse representations within the sample. Comparisons between health status and exercise groups suggested potential health benefits for the Regular Exercise group. Logistic Regression analysis identified significant influences of gender and financial status on regular exercise engagement. Additionally, a strong relationship between health status and exercise preferences, notably strength training, emerged. Regular exercise and exercise types benefit elderly individuals. Men and those with better financial status are more likely to exercise regularly. Strength training emerges as a significant contributor to better health across various health status categories. Policymakers and healthcare professionals should consider these insights to develop targeted interventions for promoting healthy aging, acknowledging the cultural and socioeconomic factors of South Korea's aging population.

Korean perspective for integrated deterministic-probabilistic safety assessment and its synergetic strategy with conventional methods

The PSA (Probabilistic Safety Assessment) is presented as a method of comprehensively evaluating the types of accidents that can occur at nuclear power plants. One of the key components to obtain technical success was the introduction of event tree analysis, and its strength and weakness has been reviewed and enhanced with the term, for instance, Integrated Deterministic-Probabilistic Safety Assessment (IDPSA) since 1980s. However, the technical and policy maturity of IDPSA appears to have room for improvement: the terminologies need to be arranged internationally, and there are no official standards or guidelines for the method itself. Due to a misperception of IDPSA, there are even concerns that appropriate contribution in risk assessment cannot be made. For this reason, surveys and focus group interviews, sharing development experiences, and the direction of regulation and R&D on IDPSA were conducted targeting PSA experts in Korea. In order to support such process, authors have structured an overview of the development history and technical features of IDPSA. Finally, we will explore the ways to achieve synergy between the deterministic safety analysis and PSA, which may the origin of motivation how to deal with dynamic variability more properly such that an undue risk can be minimized.

Korean Perspective on Potential Historical Grievances in Relations with Russia before 1910

Korean Perspective on Potential Historical Grievances in Relations with Russia before 1910

Korean Perspective on Potential Historical Grievances in Relations with Russia before 1910

Korean Perspective on Potential Historical Grievances in Relations with Russia before 1910

The South Korean Perspective on German Animal Welfare Certified Pork

Industry stakeholder requests for improved animal welfare practices in German meat production have steadily increased in recent years. A transformation of German animal husbandry systems would almost certainly result in higher production costs. Against this background, producers and the meat industry are concerned about losing their international competitiveness while implementing improved animal welfare practices. As South Korea is an established trading partner for Germany, the objective of this explorative study is to assess South Korean meat market trends with a special focus on meat quality and animal welfare in order to evaluate export chances for German pork produced under higher animal welfare standards. Using a triangulation, the results of semi-structured interviews (n=15) with South Korean pork supply chain stakeholders are combined with the results of an online survey of South Korean consumers (n=723). Results indicate that the market potential for German meat produced under higher animal standards is still low in South Korea. Stakeholders associate improved husbandry conditions with healthier animals, benefits to human health and rank animal welfare as a key element of sustainability. However, due to consumers’ lack of knowledge and their price sensitivity, animal welfare is neither a unique selling point, nor linked to meat quality.

A theological response to racism in post-apartheid South Africa: A Korean perspective

A theological response to racism in post-apartheid South Africa: A Korean perspective

Analysis of Factors Influencing Public Acceptance of Air Taxis in South Korea

Air taxis, a core service within urban air mobility (UAM), have the potential to enhance user satisfaction and address societal challenges such as traffic congestion and environmental pollution. However, the success of this service is often hindered by various concerns. To ensure successful implementation, we investigate the factors influencing public acceptance of air taxis. This study distinguishes itself from previous research in three key aspects. First, it introduces a novel classification of the factors into individual and societal dimensions. Second, it is among the first to apply a value‐based adoption model to understand the intention to adopt air taxis, including UAM. Third, it uniquely considers the Korean perspective, unlike most existing studies that focus on Western cultural contexts. To identify the consumers’ perceptions, we conducted interviews with experts and surveyed a sample of 1,000 members of the general public in Korea. Our findings suggest that perceived value for society, as well as perceived value for individual users, significantly influences adoption intention. We discuss both academic insights and practical implications for policy and industry, supporting the commercialization of Korean UAM (K‐UAM) promoted by the Korean government.

Speaking on Behalf of the Korean King

During the late sixteenth century, top-tier elites of Ming China wrote mock memorials on behalf of the king of Chosŏn Korea. While the Chinese court developed this prompt to familiarize its officials with the changing geopolitics and test their abilities to elaborate on the greatness of China, up until the sixteenth century, elites turned this exercise into an opportunity to rethink the proper order of the world. Notably, some of them epitomized by Ye Xianggao made the critical step to advocate the Korean perspective with words that were even more “intense” than their Korean counterparts. These mock exercises offer access to an important yet much-underappreciated aspect of political culture in early modern China; accordingly, those who had received or had been receiving rhetorical training were actively exploring alternative possibilities of speaking for political and cultural others in a hierarchical world order.

South Korea's Eurasian Strategy: Evolving Geopolitics of Northeast Asia

The main academic interests of this study lie in the field of international security and Eurasian geopolitics. The article employs an interdisciplinary and policy-relevant approach. More specifically, the study trespasses several academic disciplines. It aims to be interdisciplinary, drawing from various branches of social sciences. Thematically, the article will investigate South Korea's Eurasian strategy within the evolving geopolitical realities of Northeast Asia. To this end, the case study approach allowing in-depth, multi-faceted explorations of complex Korean Peninsular politics will look at Eurasian policy initiatives under different South Korean administrations. The research questions in this project are exploratory. They aim to reveal and understand the factors that would help decipher the foreign policy orientation of South Korea vis-à-vis evolving geopolitics in Northeast Asia. The study will utilize document analysis by taking a systematic approach to understanding and interpreting the relevant documents to reveal answers to the specific research questions. Within the scope of the above-mentioned conceptual parameters, this project aims to contribute to a better understanding of the ever-changing geopolitical dynamics in Northeast Asia from the South Korean perspective.

Major Determinants and Way Forward for Korea-India Relations: A Korean Perspective

The year 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and India. On the occasion of this golden jubilee, this study aims to first understand the major determinants for Korea-India relations since the Cold War. It will then highlight the way forward for further strengthening bilateral cooperation between Korea and India from a Korean perspective. The study found that the economic aspect was the main driving force for relations between Korea and India until recently. With the emergence of the Indo-Pacific era, political and security dimensions have also become important driving forces, especially due to the China factor. However, despite upgrading their strategic partnership as “special” in 2015, the two countries have not yet formulated an action plan on how to strengthen and specifically cooperate within it. There is a need to establish a blueprint for how Korea and India will develop their special strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific era. In this situation, this study suggests four areas where Korea and India can promote and strengthen their relations in the coming years: minilateralism such as Korea, Australia, Indonesia, and India (KAII) in the Indo-Pacific area, para and city diplomacy, cooperation in the defense industry, and economic cooperation on major Chinese export items to India.

개항기 서양인 기자의 시각에서 바라본 한국

In this article, I would like to look at Korea from the perspective of Western journalists during the opening of the port. The researcher focused on four interests that Western journalists are interested in due to paper relations: Seoul, Koreans, journalists, men and women. Chapter II briefly introduces the authors and books of German Genthe, American Jack London, Swedish Ason Grebst, and British Mackenzie by order of visit. Chapter III deals with the perception of the Russo-Japanese War, focusing on American Jack London, Swedish Ason Grebst, and British Mackenzie, except for Gente, who visited in 1901.Western journalists commonly pointed out that Japan attacked the Russo-Japanese War first. Western journalists viewed Japan more favorably than Russia. However, it has not deviated from Westerners' perception of orientalism. Chapter IV dealt with the interests of the four journalists, Genthe, Jack London, Ason Grebst, and Mackenzie. It was confirmed that Western reporters' perceptions and views of Seoul were based on orientalism. Reporters also recorded what they saw with their own eyes according to their duties, not as “difference,” but as “different.” Except for Jack London, Genthe, Ason Grebst, and Mackenzie did not have orientalist perceptions of Western journalists' perceptions of Koreans. Jack London reflected Orientalist thinking about Koreans in his writing. Other reporters, however, recorded their first-hand experiences with Koreans, characterizing them. This is also the Korean perspective on Westerners from a different perspective. Western journalists' perception of journalists predicted Japan's victory during the Russo-Japanese War. Journalists had to be censored for Japanese surveillance and articles in Korea. What is unusual is that it did not show an orientalist perception of the media. This is what reporters judged according to the situation at the time. Finally, in the case of Western journalists' views on Korean men and women, Genthe and Jack London expressed orientalist perceptions by mentioning that Korea is a male-centered society. On the other hand, Ason Grebst and Mackenzie described Korean women by status. As described above, the researcher looked at Korea from the perspective of Western journalists during the opening of the port. Although Westerners come to Korea with orientalist perception, it was confirmed by analyzing that orientalist perception changes through direct experience. In the future, this researcher thinks that reporters should study what they perceive about Korea more abundantly.

The Rising Sun Flag at the Olympics: Determining South Koreans’ Perspectives Using Semantic Network Analysis

The political conflicts between South Korea (from now on, Korea) and Japan occurred whenever the Rising Sun Flag (RSF) appeared at sporting events. This study investigates why Koreans react sensitively to the RSF and how Koreans perceive the RSF. This study gathers the data using TEXTOM, a big data text mining program and uses UCINET 6 to conduct a semantic network analysis for drawing diagrams of social networks. This study confirmed that the RSF reminds Koreans of Japanese militarism and the colonial period; thus, displaying the RSF in sports is problematic from the Korean perspective. This paper contributes to the literature on mega sport event-related politics and provides academic evidence that supports prohibiting the use of RSF at sporting events. This study also serves to raise awareness of how the use of symbols can be embedded with historical associations and politically sensitive at sporting events.

Clinical practice guideline and real-life practice in hepatocellular carcinoma: A Korean perspective.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of death in many countries, including South Korea. To provide useful and sensible advice for clinical management of patients with HCC, the Korean Liver Cancer Association and National Cancer Center Korea Practice Guideline Revision Committee have recently revised the practice guidelines for HCC management. However, there are some differences between practice guidelines and real-life clinical practice. In this review, we describe some key recommendations of the 2022 version of practice guidelines and the real-life clinical situation in South Korea, together with discussion about efforts needed to reduce the difference between guidelines and real-life clinical practice.

Modification of HEART Pathway for Patients With Chest Pain: A Korean Perspective.

The History, Electrocardiography, Age, Risk factors, and Troponin (HEART) pathway was developed to identify patients at low risk of a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) among patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency department. We modified the HEART pathway by replacing the Korean cut-off of 25 kg/m² with the conventional threshold of 30 kg/m² in the definition of obesity among risk factors. The primary outcome was a MACE within 30 days, which included acute myocardial infarction, primary coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, and all-cause death. Of the 1,304 patients prospectively enrolled, MACE occurred in 320 (24.5%). The modified HEART pathway identified 37.3% of patients as low-risk compared with 38.3% using the HEART pathway. Of the 500 patients classified as low-risk with HEART pathway, 8 (1.6%) experienced MACE, and of the 486 low-risk patients with modified HEART pathway, 4 (0.8%) experienced MACE. The modified HEART pathway had a sensitivity of 98.8%, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.2%, a specificity of 49.0%, and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 38.6%, compared with the original HEART pathway, with a sensitivity of 97.5%, a NPV of 98.4%, a specificity of 50.0%, and a PPV of 38.8%. When applied to Korean population, modified HEART pathway could identify patients safe for early discharge more accurately by using body mass index cut-off levels suggested for Koreans.

Assessing the Impact and Implications of US Outbound Investment Screening on China: A Korean Perspective

Assessing the Impact and Implications of US Outbound Investment Screening on China: A Korean Perspective

Review. Not a community, but a multilateral institution: A Korean perspective on the East Asian International Society

Review. Not a community, but a multilateral institution: A Korean perspective on the East Asian International Society

건강보험심사평가원 환자표본 데이터 분석을 통한 한의 의료 이용 요추 수술 환자의 탐색적 성과 분석

Objectives This study aimed to analyze the medical utilization of low back pain (LBP) patients after back surgery and estimate the medical costs of Korean and Western medicine collaborative treatment, odds ratio, and hazard ratio between the two groups using the 2019 Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Sample (HIRA-NPS-2019). Methods Data management and descriptive analysis, logistic regression, and survival analysis were conducted for defining and estimating the LBP patients after back surgery in the NPS 2019 dataset. Results A total of 216,424 patients out of 991,189 were identified as having LBP. Among the patients with LBP, 1,734 were treated with surgery while 214,690 were not. Among those who had surgery, 937 were treated with conventional treatments only and 797 underwent Korean medicine treatments. The odds ratio of the logistic regression analysis was 0.7129, suggesting that Korean medical treatment experience group had a 28.7% lower risk of reoperation than the Western medical treatments only group. The hazard ratio of the survival analysis was 0.9145; thus, the risk probability of reoperation was estimated to be approximately 8.55% lower. The 50% risk of reoperation was 69 days (0.5044) for the conventional group, and 97 days (0.5008) for the Korean medical group in the survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier graph. Conclusions These results could be utilized in future studies in conducting economic evaluation for estimating cost-effectiveness of Western medicine and Korean medicine treatment compared to Western medicine alone in LBP patients after back surgery in a South Korean perspective. mended and should be applied while taking the necessary precautions.

The US-led security network in the Indo-Pacific in international order transition: a South Korean perspective

The liberal security order in the Indo-Pacific led by the US has been transitioning to one managed by a US-led security network. As a result, the geostrategic competition between the US and China has also been transforming to one between this US-led network and China. In the process, Japan, Australia, and India have emerged as major ‘nodes’ of the network. In this context, this paper adopts the concept of ‘network power’ to claim that South Korea—while it still favors being a part of the network—is concerned that it would be relegated to the status of a small peripheral node mainly ‘tied’ to Japan, the regional hub of the network in Northeast Asia. To mitigate this concern, South Korea attempts to avoid unnecessarily seeming to exclude China while still favoring the network; aligns with other regional nodes in the network, whether Australia, India, or some ASEAN states; and increasingly frames its role as that of an active ‘order-shaper’ rather than a passive ‘order-taker’.

니카라과-콜롬비아 간 카리브해에서의 주권적 권리 및 해역 침해 주장 사건 평석

This article examines the judgment of the Alleged Violations of Sovereign Rights and Maritime Spaces in the Caribbean Sea (Nicaragua v. Colombia), which was rendered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in April 2022. In addition, it provides some comments in law of the sea perspective and also draws implications in Korean perspective. In this judgment, the ICJ dealt with the following issues: the rights and duties-particularly with respect to the fisheries and marine environmental protection -of Nicaragua and Colombia in Nicaragua’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the compatibility of Colombia’s contiguous zone with customary international law, Nicaragua’s alleged infringement of the traditional fishing rights of the Colombian nationals, and the compatibility of Nicaragua’s straight baselines with customary international law. In this regard, this article points out several noteworthy features in the judgment: first, the ICJ recognized the spatial limit of the contiguous zone and the contents on the control of the coastal State in this zone in accordance with article 33, of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as customary international law; second, the ICJ found it possible for the EEZ and contiguous zone to be overlapped between States, because the two regimes regulate different rights and duties; and third, the ICJ determined whether the straight baselines system established by the coastal State was in effect legal or not. Lastly, in the broader context of the law of the sea, this article also takes note that the ICJ declared or reaffirmed that not a few articles of UNCLOS reflected customary international law in this judgement. This suggests that UNCLOS is constantly contributing to the materialization of the customary law of the sea and broadening its universality in the law of the sea field, as the so-called Magna Carta of the ocean.