Northern Part Of Korea Research Articles

One Man, Two Stories: The Differing Legacies of Rikidozan

Kim Sin-rak(November 14th, 1924- October 28th, 1963), better known as Rikidozan, is one of the most decorated professional wrestlers of all time. Born in the Northern part of Korea, he immigrated to Japan to become a sumo wrestler. Though he had some success in the world of sumo wrestling, his dispute with his stable master would lead to Rikidozan retiring from the sport to become a black marketeer and construction worker. His life would change after being recruited by American professional wrestler and promoter Bobby Bruns to come along on a wrestling tour of Japan. After this first tour was done, he left for the United States where his fame and popularity steadily grew. He was soon established as Japan's biggest professional wrestling star, defeating the imposing American wrestlers through sheer strength, tenacity, and sumo-based chops. At the time of Rikidozan's rise to superstardom, Japan was left reeling after surrendering to the United States in 1945. The Japanese people needed a hero, and Rikidozan became that hero. Millions of Japanese citizens crowded television screens in order to watch Rikidozan fight off American wrestlers, giving hope to a downtrodden nation. Rikidozan's storied career would leave behind a major impact on Japan, becoming the first postwar hero who embraced Japanese ideals. His foundation of the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance in 1953 was the starting point for the establishment of puroresu, or Japanese pro wrestling. His JWA paved the way for companies like New Japan Pro Wrestling to become both a domestic and worldwide phenomenon. Japan was not the only country to have idolized Rikidozan as a national hero, however. Years after Rikidozan's death, North Korea claimed Rikidozan as their own national hero. Though Rikidozan lived life as a Japanese star, he was born as Kim Sin-rak, an ethnic North Korean. North Korea published multiple pieces of state propaganda re-writing the narrative of Rikidozan's career to fit the views of North Korea, to inspire their citizens to follow state teachings. Rikidozan was repackaged into a North Korean patriot who hated Japan and loved his home country, and had fought and dedicated his matches to the Supreme Leader Kim Il-sung. He did not simply defeat wrestlers, he had fought off almost mythical beings in American and Japanese wrestlers and became the symbol of strength and resillience in North Korea.This essay seeks to examine both of the differing stories told about Rikidozan's career, and contextualize them with their respective time period. Rikidozan's career in the Japanese telling is post-World War 2, while the North Korean telling lines up more accurately with the later half of the Cold War. Rikidozan's career is examined with an understanding of the ins and outs of professional wrestling and historical context behind the concurrent events during Rikidozan's career and the North Korean re-telling of that career.

Antioxidant Activity and Mineral Content in Unripe Fruits of 10 Apple Cultivars Growing in the Northern Part of Korea

This study evaluated unripe fruits of ten apple cultivars removed during fruit thinning for their antioxidant activity and mineral content. The unripe fruits were collected from Chuncheon and Jeongseon located at Gangwon-Do of Korea. Antioxidant activities such as total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) activity, FRAP (Ferric reducing antioxidant power), vitamin C and mineral contents were measured. In the unripe fruits obtained from Chuncheon and Jeongseon, TPC was in the range 8.97–81.4 and 7.11–42.15 mg GAE/g, TFC was in the range 9.38–33.81 and 6.83–19.24 mg QE/g, DPPH was in the range 27.17–82.58 and 29.73–73.24, FRAP was in the range 33.54–371.12 and 26.76–185.69 µM trolox /g, and Vitamin C was in the range 1.1–4.9 and 1.1–2.8 mg/AA/g, respectively. Among the cultivars tested, ‘Hongro’ and ‘Honggeum’ had consistently highest antioxidant activity, while ‘Summer King,’ ‘Tsugaru,’ and ‘Arisoo’ had the lowest value. ‘Picnic’ had the highest mineral contents expect P and K in Joengsoen, while ‘Summer King’ and ‘Tsugaru’ had the lowest value in both locations. These differences could be due to the genetic characteristics and/or their growth environments. These results could provide information to help with better utilization of thinned unripe fruits of apples in Korea.

경주 탑동 목관묘 출토 청동기로 본 대외관계와 피장자의 성격

The wooden coffin tombs at Tap-dong are the first tombs of outstanding elites to have ever found in downtown Gyeongju, the capital of Silla. This is also where Oreung(五陵) - the tomb of Park Hyeokgeose, who is the founding monarch of Silla - is located. The Tap-dong burial sites consist of 3 wooden coffin tombs dated in different periods, numbered 1 - 3, respectively.
 There are hints from the digs at the Tap-dong site that: 1. the kind of wooden coffin tomb appeared around 57 BCE, exactly at the same time when Silla started off as a small city-state by the name of Saro-guk.
 2. the bronze and iron artifacts and other ornaments from this site suggest that the ruling class of Saro-guk was the association of native Jin people and displaced people whose expansionist attitudes served militarily and socio-economically as intermediators between China and northern peoples and Silla, and even further Japan.
 3. all of these findings could be archaeological evidence that the earlier historical records of the origin of Silla in Samguk Sagi proves plausible.
 The three tombs at the Tap-dong site were built in three differentiated periods and occupied by three differentiated owners in terms of social status, but they all represented early phases of the emergence of a centralized monarchy at the heart of the capital of Silla, not in the neighboring place. The tombs were numbered 1 - 3 as they were found, and yet Tomb No. 3 is the oldest of the three, followed by Tomb No. 2. and Tomb No. 1 backwards chronologically.
 Tomb No. 3 produced no distinguished prestige goods of bronze except some earthenware, by the chronological dating of which this tomb is presumed to have been built around 57 BCE. It marks the beginning of the construction of wooden coffin tombs in this area.
 Tomb No. 2 can be thought of a prelude to a new political entity of Gyeongju beginning its journey to the Unified Kingdom. It is the first of a series of tombs where the Chinese bronze mirrors were deposited by those who ruled downtown Gyeongju in the late 1st century AD, about the same time as Tomb No. 38 at Joyang-dong, Gyeongju. Tomb No. 38 at Joyang-dong, however, produced 4 Chinese bronze mirrors and a fragment of a reprocessed Chinese bronze mirror, which means that the deceased as a stronger manager who boasted his financial power capable of possessing valued items, such as Chinese bronze mirrors, was competing against the Tap-dong tomb owner nearby, about 8 km or only a 2-hour walk apart in Gyeongju at the time.
 The finds from Tomb No. 1 at Tap-dong can be interpreted that at least two groups of separate interests had a rational division of function along the supply chain of iron artifacts in present-day Gyeongju around the mid 1st century AD: One was in charge of producing ironwork and the other was responsible for trading them, organizing guild-like professional associations; The first group consisted of people who were able to bury their leader with a good number of highly valued iron artworks in his grave. On the other hand, the second group consisted of people who boasted their prestige and authority by placing multiple decorative bronze items, such as swords, buckles, buttons, and bracelets, in their leader’s burial. Sarari people as locals would have settled down here in Gyeongju from the beginning of the Bronze age and been familiar with dealing with iron. Alternately, Tap-dong people could be the displaced refugees who had fled from the Northern part of Korea after the fall of Wiman Joseon. That’s why they could have been flashily dressed like one of them and engaged in foreign trade with Northern nomadic people.

탁상 위의 유토피아 ― 일제하 조선 북부의 개척촌 조성과 실패 ―

A pioneer village refers to a village located in farmland established through a development of forest or wasteland. The development of the pioneer villages on the Korean Peninsula had continued in different goals for each era. Such a development after modernization, in particular, requires attention in that it was fully implemented with national goals, such as implementation of total war and population management. This article intends to look into the history of the establishment of the pioneer villages and its failure focusing on a change in the northern region of Korea where large-scale establishment of the villages was made under the Japanese colonial rule. Through this, It will examine why such a huge plan attempting to relocate tens of thousands of people in the Japanese Empire to an unexplored area in the northern part of Korea, as with pioneer immigration to Manchuria, ended up as an armchair talk.

Classification of Synoptic Patterns With Mesoscale Mechanisms for Downslope Windstorms in Korea Using a Self‐Organizing Map

AbstractDownslope windstorms (DWs) are responsible for wildfires, wind gusts, and turbulence on the lee side of the Taebaek Mountains in the Yeongdong (YD) region of Korea. We classified the synoptic conditions of the windstorms in the YD region using a self‐organizing map (SOM). For windstorm events from 1979 to 2019, sea level pressure anomalies were used to train the SOM. It was found that the synoptic patterns could be classified into three representative types: (1) the south‐high and north‐low pattern in the spring, (2) the west‐high and east‐low pattern in the winter, and (3) the strong low‐pressure system passing through the northern part of Korea. At 850 hPa, prevailing southwesterly and northwesterly flows with warm and cold advections were dominant in Types 1 and 2, respectively. And, Type 3 presented a well‐developed baroclinic system of cyclone. Adiabatic warming by downslope windstorm was the strongest in Type 1, which was likely to have a huge impact on the spread of wildfires. Three mesoscale generation mechanisms were examined under different synoptic patterns. The hydraulic‐jump theory was dominant for the windstorms in Type 2 due to upstream flows with moderate Froude numbers and inversion layers. The partial reflection of mountain waves was found in all types but was more frequent in Type 1 than others. DWs with wave breakings at critical levels mostly occurred in Type 1. This objective classification of weather patterns responsible for DWs in the YD region may improve predictions and future projections of this event, particularly in light of ongoing climate changes.

Musical Entanglements: Ely Haimowitz and Orchestral Music under the US Army Military Government in Korea, 1945–1948

AbstractShortly after Japan's surrender to Allied forces, the Soviet Union occupied the northern part of Korea, and the United States moved into the south, where it established the US Army Military Government in Southern Korea (USAMGIK, 1945–1948). In the American zone, music played a unique role in forging US hegemony over Korea. Young American pianist Ely Haimowitz (1920–2010) was the central figure in shaping that policy. Associated with “highbrow” culture, Western orchestral music helped restore Koreans’ ethnic pride damaged by Japanese colonial rule, while countering the Soviet emphasis on indigenous music. By fostering Western orchestral music in Korea, and supporting many individual musicians, Haimowitz succeeded in gaining widespread admiration and trust among Korean musicians. Based on unique access to Haimowitz's private archival collection, as well as diverse historical records from Korea, this article develops a complex picture of Haimowitz not merely as a cold-blooded US military officer and propagandist but also as an individual musician who shared friendships with Korean musicians, suffered ethical dilemmas, and often supported Korean voices against the USAMGIK. The relationships he forged provide indispensable context in understanding USAMGIK music policy, Korean musicians’ responses to it, and the post–World War II Korean reception of Western orchestral music overall.

An Explosively Developing Extratropical Cyclone Associated with the High Wind-Waves along the East Coast of Korea

Heo, K.-Y.; Choi, J.-Y.; Park, K.-S.; Kwon, J.-I.; Min, I.-K., and Ha, T., 2018. Explosively developing extratropical cyclone associated with the high wind-waves along the east coast of Korea. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 716–720. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.An extreme extratropical cyclone struck the northern part of Korea on May 3, 2016 causing significant damage to property on the land due to extreme winds and abnormal high waves in coastal area. The meteorological composite fields for the cyclone show a strong surface wind velocity (up to 45 m s−1) during its mature stage. This study investigated the development mechanisms of an explosive cyclone through numerical simulation and sensitivity experiments using the Advanced Research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model. The trigger mechanism for the explosive cyclogenesis is the strong baroclinic instability and temperature advection associated with upper-level cut-off low and the interaction of potential vorticity (PV) anomalies between the lower- and upper-level. The efficient placement of the high- and low-level jets forms a favorable environment for its development and transportation of water vapor and the instability energy into the cyclone. The sea-state wave simulation around the Korean Peninsula is obtained using the wave model WAVEWATCHIII (WW3) forced by the 10-m above ground level wind field from the WRF-ARW simulations. The significant wave height and peak wave direction were simulated and wave distribution was analyzed by comparing the removal of the upper-level PV with the doubled. The numerical results using the doubled upper-level PV reproduced well generation of high waves around the Korean Peninsula while not the removal of the upper-level PV.

New extension range and complementary description of Eurytemora americana (Calanoida: Temoridae) in northern Korea

The brackish calanoid, Eurytemora americana Williams, 1906, is reported in the northern part of Korea. It is found to be an important copepod in the mesozooplankton community structure from the estuarine and shallow waters. The range extension and of E. americana is reported additionally to previously known distributional range from brackish waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, United Kingdom, Canada, English Channel, Iceland, the North Atlantic Ocean, the North Pacific Ocean (Japan, Korea, and Russia), and the North Sea. In this study, both sexes of E. americana are redescribed and illustrated including their undescribed mouthparts. The most important characters that have been overlooked in the previous descriptions are: shape of the last pedigerous somite in female, structure of the genital double-somite, and ornamentation of the fifth leg in both sexes. The distributional range of E. americana is now given with its northern and southern hemisphere limit as 70 to 37°N in the North Pacific and 38°S in the Southwest Atlantic.

‘On the Origin of Medicine’ from Eastern Medicine [for] Prolonging the World and Preserving People by Yi Chema (1837–1900)

The translation below is an essay, ‘On the Origin of Medicine’ (Ŭiwŏnnon醫源論), taken from the textbook1Eastern Medicine[for]Prolonging the World and Preserving People(Tongǔi Susebowǒn東醫壽世保元, 1894),2 by Yi Chema 李濟馬 (1837–1900, styled Tongmu 東武).3 Yi Chema, hailing from the peripheral northern part of Korea, was a Confucian-cum-physician and also served as military officer and local magistrate during the Chosŏn 朝鮮 dynasty (1392–1910). Having no specific allegiances to any intellectual lineage in either medicine or Confucianism, he was able to translate his critical yet inspirational impulses into a distinctively novel style of clinical practice. His ideas built on the observation that sentimental/emotional, or better, psychosocial dispositions of a person are inextricably associated with the visceral dynamics of the person.4 He thus put forward as an overarching scheme of organisation the four constitutional types: Greater Yang (Taeyang 太陽) Person, Greater Yin (Taeŭm 太陰) Person, Lesser Yang (Soyang 少陽) Person, and Lesser Yin (Soŭm 少陰) Person. Later dubbed ‘Sasang Medicine’ (Sasangǔihak四象醫學), Yi Chema’s distinctive way of knowing and style of practice became one of the main intellectual currents of Korean medicine during the twentieth century. Its history thus provides an illustrative example of the diverse landscape and historical dynamics of East Asian medicine.

New records of phoretic mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) associated with dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Korea and their ecological implication

Phoresy is one of the dispersal mechanisms of wingless microarthropods such as mites attached on the winged host. Mites associated with two scarabaeid beetles, Copris ochus and C. tripartitus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) were collected from the ex-situ conservation site in Heongseong, Gangwon province in Korea. Among them, four species Copriphis hastatellus Berlese, 1910 (Eviphididae); Holostaspella scatophila Takaku, 1994 (Macrochelidae); Macrocheles japonicus Evans and Hyatt, 1963 (Macrochelidae); and Onchodellus siculus Berlese, 1892 (Pachylaelapidae) were recorded for the first time in Korea. Also, Parasitus consanguineus Oudemans and Voigts (Parasitidae) was previously recorded from the specimen in northern part of Korea in 1904, but since then no record has been made for a century. This is the second observation of this species over 100 years in the Korean peninsula. Description of this species is presented for comparison with the original description. Further discussion explored the relationship between the mites and dung beetles, and possible implication for the conservation of the endangered species.

Last Glacial Maximum climate over Korean Peninsula in PMIP3 simulations

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) at 21,000 years before present is a marked climate event with thick ice sheets over North America and Europe and associated sea level drop of about 120 m. We used the most updated coupled climate model results to analyze the climate change over Korea for the LGM. Eight coupled models (CCSM, CNRM, COSMOS, FGOALS, IPSL, MIROC, MPI, and MRI) were used to analyze the LGM climate. With LGM boundary conditions, surface air temperature decreases almost everywhere in all seasons with the largest cooling in winter and least cooling in summer. Overall, in the LGM, the multi-model annual-mean cooling over Korea is 5.85 C°, which is consistent with proxy evidence using pollen reconstructions. Associated with the surface cooling, precipitation decreases in general, with the largest reduction in winter by 56%, but in summer precipitation increases by 12% in the LGM over Korea. Overall, precipitation decreases by about 14% in the LGM over Korea. The surface cooling tends to increase surface pressure almost everywhere over Asia. The sea level pressure increase is especially larger in high latitudes and this leads to the easterly wind anomaly in northern part of Korea. On the other hand, in South Korea, the increase in surface pressure leads to the westerly wind anomaly. The increase in surface pressure associated with surface cooling leads to the anticlockwise wind anomalies in the LGM over Korea.

The Effects of Inter-Korean Integration Type on Economic Performance: The Role of Wage Policy

This paper analyses the effects of various possible types of inter-Korean integration on economic performance in the northern part of Korea after reunification, focusing on the role of wage policy. The wage policy of reunified Germany is generally said to have been one of the major reasons for the increase in unification costs there, because it led to East German worker wages in excess of their productivity level. To reduce the costs of unification, Korea therefore needs to apply wage policies different from reunified Germany's and from South Korea's, which requires a new type of integration. Against this backdrop, this paper classifies the integration types into three – a unitary state, a federation, and an SAR (Special Administrative Region) – and analyzes their relative economic effects under the assumption that each type is accompanied by different wage policies. According to this analysis, the federation type shows unemployment and growth patterns similar to those observed in East Germany, the unitary state type higher unemployment and lower growth than in East Germany, and the SAR type lower unemployment and higher growth.

New flavonol glycosides from the leaves of Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum

Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum (Liliaceae) is widely distributed in the northern part of Korea. The bulbs and leaves of this plant have been used as vegetable in Korea and also used as Korean traditional medicine for the treatment of gastritis and heart failures. Previous phytochemical studies on this plant reported the isolation of flavonoids, steroidal saponins and sulfur compounds. In the course of our continuing search for bioactive compounds from Korean medicinal plant sources, we investigated the 80% MeOH extract of the leaves of A. victorialis var. platyphyllum. Column chromatographic purification of the MeOH extract resulted in the isolation of eight new flavonol glycosides, named Allivictoside A-G (1-8), together with twelve known flavonoids (9-20). The structures of new ones were determined on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR data and chemical means. We are studying the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of the isolates for their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated BV-2 cells.

Downy mildew caused by Peronospora farinosa f. sp. betae newly reported on Swiss chard in Korea

Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) is a popular culinary vegetable crop grown worldwide for its edible leaves. In November 2007, Swiss chard showing typical downy mildew symptoms was initially collected in polytunnels in Yongin and Namyangju, Korea. In Yongin area, many growers abandoned the crop before harvest due to significant damage by the disease. Infected leaves turned pale green to yellowish with greyish to dark brown fungal growth developing mainly on lower surfaces, but spreading to the upper surface in wet conditions. As the disease progressed, the leaves began to curl and wilt. Microscopic examination of two representative samples (KUS-F23152 and KUS-F23163) was done to identify the pathogen. Conidiophores (250–600 × 7–10 μm) were hyaline, straight to substraight, mostly monopodially branched in 4-6(-7) orders. Ultimate branchlets were straight to substraight, 5–13 μm long, 1·5–3 μm wide at the base, with conical to obtuse tips. Conidia were olivaceous brown, broadly ellipsoidal to ellipsoidal, and measured 21·5–30·0 × 17·5–22·5 μm (length/width ratio = 1·17–1·35). Amplification and sequencing of the ITS rDNA region were performed and data deposited in GenBank (Accession No. EU591713). Comparison of sequences available in GenBank revealed that the ITS sequence is identical to Peronospora farinosa found on sugar beet, B. vulgaris var. saccharifera (DQ643843 and DQ643844), and shows two base pair substitutions with an isolate on spinach, Spinacia oleracea (DQ643901). Based on the present results of morphological characteristics and molecular approaches and previous work of host specificity (Byford, 1967), the pathogen was identified as P. farinosa f. sp. betae. Downy mildew of Swiss chard has been previously recorded from USA (as Peronospora schachtii), Mexico (as Peronspora sp.) and China (as P. farinosa) (Farr & Rossman, 2009), but not from Korea. Although downy mildew infection on sugar beet has been recorded in the northern part of Korea before (Nakata, 1914), there has been no sugar beet cropping in Korea since the 1920s. The recent outbreak of the disease seems to be closely related to high humidity and poor ventilation occurring in the polytunnels. This is the first Korean report of downy mildew on Swiss chard, an emerging threat to sheltered production of this important crop.

Change of extreme events of temperature and precipitation over Korea using regional projection of future climate change

This study investigates possible changes of extreme events in global warming over Korea with MM5 downscaling simulation during the period 1971–2100. Frequency distribution of daily temperatures over Korea shows an increase in the mean by about 5.5°C from 1971–2000 to 2071–2100 while change in the variance is negligible. Increasing temperature results in changes in the frequency and intensity of temperature extremes. Under the current climate change scenario, hot events are expected to be more frequent and intense, while cold events will be rare and weaker. The increasing trend of temperature is associated with an increasing trend of precipitation. The increasing trend produces an increase in the number of the days of heavy precipitation as well as the corresponding amount. Better resolved topography in MM5 produces bigger changes in local precipitation than in the temperature field. Consequently increasing tendency is obvious in the northern part of Korea.

The Life Cycle and Secondary Production of Cincticostella levanidovae (Tsheirnova) Collected From a Headwater Stream in Mt. Jumbong, Korea

Nymphs of Cincticostella levanidovae (Ts-hernova), were collected from a headwater stream in Mt. Jumbong in the northern part of Korea. They showed a univoltine winter life cycle. The youngest nymphs were collected in July and the adults appeared to emerge from early April through June in next year. The cohort production interval for the species was estimated as 340 days. The annual secondary production (ash free dry weight) was estimated by the increment-summation method and the size-frequency method, being calculated as 488 and 708 mg · m −2 · yr −1, respectively. Gut content analysis showed that C. levanidovae is a detritivore and could be categorized as a collector-gatherer.

Identification of Inappropriate Drug Prescribing by Computerized, Retrospective DUR Screening in Korea

In Korea, the drug use process has changed significantly since the new pharmacy law was implemented in 2000, separating the prescribing and dispensing functions between physicians and pharmacists and mandating prospective drug use review (DUR) practice by pharmacists immediately before dispensing medications. However, a high prevalence of inappropriate prescribing has been suspected by the public, pharmacists, and health insurance managers, possibly due to suboptimal DUR practice by pharmacists. To assess overall patterns of drug usage and potential problems of inappropriate use in outpatient settings by analyzing prescription data that were electronically submitted to the national health insurance manager with a computerized DUR system and develop a computerized adjudication system model for drug claims. The national prescription drug claims data that were submitted electronically by pharmacies located in the northern part of Korea during 15 days in 2002 were retrospectively screened against the predetermined DUR standards of the selected criteria on drug dosage, duration of therapy, and drug interaction using the DUR screening system. The results of all the DUR conflicts were further validated manually by an expert panel and statistically analyzed to determine drug use patterns. Of 31,994,260 drugs prescribed, 3,325,760 (10.4%) items showed a conflict with at least one of the DUR standards. The average number of drugs prescribed on each prescription was 4.07, and even more troubling was the high incidence of under-dosing, over-dosing, and contraindicated drug prescribing. It is evident that inappropriate drug prescribing is very common in Korea; thus, a great deal of attention is urgently needed in the country with respect to proper prescribing and supportive interventions.