Perception Of Korea Research Articles

Study on the Correlation between Perception of Korea, Korean Language, and Korean Culture and Korean Classes Satisfaction: Focusing on Koryoin Korean Language Learners Living in Korea

Study on the Correlation between Perception of Korea, Korean Language, and Korean Culture and Korean Classes Satisfaction: Focusing on Koryoin Korean Language Learners Living in Korea

중국인 유학생들의 한국 이미지 인식변화 연구

This paper aims to explore the changes in the perception of Korea before and after the arrival of Chinese students who chose culture and art-related majors based on their affinity with Korean culture. Based on previous studies, the country image was divided into four areas: economy, politics and relations, nation, and culture. A deep interview survey was conducted and analyzed to examine the changes in the country image. The economy image changed from city image to consumption image, the politics and relations image changed from Korean understanding to Korean understanding, and the country image changed from social atmosphere perception such as organizational culture to cultural arts participation. These changes in country perception had an impact on the adaptation of Korean life, stress coping, stay and employment of Chinese students.

The Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Tertiary International Students in South Korea

South Korea’s demographic problem has spurred Korean universities to expand their outreach and increase their stake in global student mobility. The desire for global expansion and diversity in Korean higher education clashes with the sensibilities of a nation lacking a multicultural tradition. This study documents this conflict of competing interests by narrating the cross-cultural adaptation experiences of 14 international students at a private tertiary institution in South Korea. Within the framework of cross-cultural adaptation theory, the researcher utilized questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group to better understand how international students are affected by their encounters with Korean society. From the qualitative analysis, the key themes of cultural affinity, language fluency necessity, and implicit discrimination were found to impact an individual’s cross-cultural adaptation. The results demonstrate that students' perceptions of Korea and their experiences constitute a feedback loop: either a positive cycle of adaptation stemming from a high interest in host language and culture that manifests into a higher student-perceived satisfactory experience in the host country or a negative cycle of dissatisfaction and rejection of the host society and culture. 
 
 Received: 9 July 2023 / Accepted: 17 October 2023 / Published: 5 November 2023

Increasing Consumption of Korean Dramas during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This qualitative study focuses on Indonesian transnational fans’ consumption of Korean dramas (hereafter K-dramas) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights the fans’ lived experiences, thoughts, and interpretation of Korean culture in watching K-dramas as well as how they construct identities through their consumption and articulation in their everyday lives. This study used qualitative questionnaire as the instrument to collect the data for the study. Using thematic analysis, the study reveals that there were four emerging motivating factors to watch K-Dramas among Indonesian viewers: fresh substitutive choice, easy access, interesting stories and visuals, and cultural factors. Additionally, the study also showed four outcomes of their consumptive behavior: language acquisition and motivation to learn Korean, cultural understanding and new perceptions of Korea, pursuit of education, and pure entertainment and stress-reliever. Hence, this study contributes to the body of literature on K-Dramas consumption, especially in the era of COVID-19 pandemic.

When Does Cultural Diplomacy Work?

While South Korea has been an active player in cultural diplomacy, there is a dearth of research on how cultural diplomacy events should be designed to maximize their effectiveness. We fill this gap by investigating what affects audience satisfaction with Korea's cultural diplomacy events. We utilize opinion surveys conducted from 2018 to 2020 with close to 2,000 respondents at 12 official cultural events in nine countries celebrating the anniversary of diplomatic ties. We find that local cultural expert involvement in the design of the event is associated with greater satisfaction when the audience has a high familiarity with Korean culture. We also find that introducing intercultural elements to the event can help improve event satisfaction among audience members with relatively low intercultural competence. Our analysis also confirms that audience members satisfied with these events hold a more favorable perception of Korea. The findings have important implications for cultural diplomacy practitioners.

Islamic Studies of Korea in Medieval Scripts: Medieval Muslims’ perception of Korea “as a Muslims’ Paradise” and the Influence of Ancient Civilizations’ Golden Island in the Sea East of the Eastern End of the World

Silla was one of two places in East Asia frequently described by medieval Muslim writers from the mid ninth-century onwards. The earliest study of Silla in antique documents can be traced back to eighteenth-century Arabists who attached a short note to the word “Sīlā” when editing or translating manuscripts.1 From the nineteenth century, not only in quantitative terms but also qualitatively, Muslim authors’ eagerness to catalogue their knowledge about Silla caught the attention of contemporary scholars in both the East and West. In addition to Europeans, Japanese academics attempted to study the definition of Silla at this time, and owing to the colonization of Korea, Silla came to be considered not only as part of Korean, but also Japanese “history.” From the early twentieth century, pioneering Korean scholars were also challenged by the task of deciphering medieval Muslim knowledge of Silla, often in conjunction with Arabic researchers.

근대전환기 내한 선교사 저술 속에 나타난 한국인식: 헐버트, 게일, 베어드를 중심으로

본 연구는 근대전환기 내한 선교사 가운데 헐버트, 게일, 베어드의 활동과 저술 속에 나타난 각각의 한국인식을 살펴보았다. 선교사들은 다양한 분야에서 활동하였고, 거기서 경험한 한국인식을 기고, 집필의 형태로 세계와 소통하고, 강연회를 통해 직접 영미지역에 한국학을 유통하며 한국학을 주도했다. 근대전환기에 헐버트는 교육과 정치 분야에서, 게일은 문학과 문화영역에서, 베어드는 교육과 문서 활동분야에서 족적을 남겼다. 이들이 갖고 있던 한국인에 대한 공통적인 생각은 ‘존중’이라는 표현된다. 본 연구의 시사점은 동시대 같은 인문학 담론장에 있던 외국인들의 시선을 개별로만 보지 말고 횡단으로 들여다보면 ‘따로 또 같이’라고 표현할 수 있는 담론장을 볼 수 있다는 것이다. 이럴 때 근대전환기 한국의 모습이 생생하게 다가 올 수 있을 것이다.

Teachers and students’ perceptions of Korea’s emergency online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The outbreak of COVID-19 happened suddenly. Consequently, educators were forced to provide online teaching during the 2020 school year. In Korea, from the elementary school to the graduate school l...

Importance Analysis on the Healing Environment Design Checklist for Geriatric Hospitals : Comparative analysis on the recognition of Korea/China and medical service and design experts

This study analyzed the importance-recognition of the healing environment design elements for the hospital room of the geriatric hospital. Four experts groups with 30 people each from Korea and China, medical service and design field were surveyed for the comparative examination. The survey used a 5-point Likert method applying ‘Healing Environment Design Checklist for Geriatric Hospitals’ suggested through prior research. The results of cross-comparison analysis between various groups were as follows. First, the averages of the two categories of ‘Beauty and design’ and ‘Biophilia’ were low, while ‘Privacy’ and ‘Community and information’ showed high importance. Second, Among the 48 items, items with high importance were found to have high objectivity and feasibility, while the importance of cultural and qualitative items was relatively low. Third, design experts gave high importance to the planning aspect, while medical service experts had higher importance in real life-related items in hospitals. Lastly, the difference in perception of Korea and China was compared and analyzed. Overall, while Korea placed emphasis on services and spatial comfort for leisure life, China showed high preference for design and naturalistic approaches.

Does K-pop affect Peruvians’ Korean images and visit intention to Korea?

ABSTRACT This study aims to identify the factors that influence Peruvians’ preference for K-pop, their perception of Korea’s national image due to their consumption of K-pop, and their intentions to visit the country. Accordingly, a survey of Peruvians who experienced K-pop was conducted in Peru. Consequently, the results showed that factors pertaining to artists and songs contributed positively to Korea’s national image. However, the results suggest that K-pop generally affect the Korean images positively to Peruvian, but does not directly induce Peruvian to have visit intention to Korea. It is suggested that it is too early to conclude that K-pop has instantly yielded positive results for building Korean national image and leading to visit Korea since still there can be geographical and cultural distances between Latin America and Korea.

국가에 대한 경험 방식과 지식이 국가이미지와 전반적 평가에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 15개 국가의 한국에 대한 인식을 중심으로

국가에 대한 경험 방식과 지식이 국가이미지와 전반적 평가에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 15개 국가의 한국에 대한 인식을 중심으로

The Influence of Hallyu on Africans’ Perceptions of Korea: The Moderating Role of Service Quality

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between Hallyu, destination image, and behavioral intentions in light of the moderating effect of service quality. To that purpose, we established two objectives: to investigate relationships between Hallyu, destination image, and behavioral intentions and to examine how service quality at a destination affects the relationship between Hallyu and destination image. We collected data from 250 African students studying in Korea, 223 of whom returned usable surveys that we subjected to structural analysis. The results revealed that there is a positive relationship between Hallyu and destination image and that destination image significantly influenced behavioral intention. Moreover, we found differences in the moderating role of service quality. Such findings contribute to tourism marketing for African tourists.

The misadventure of Korea Aid: developmental soft power and the troubling motives of an emerging donor

Korea Aid was a development project delivering Korean medical services, food and pop music via trucks to rural communities in Africa. The project was poorly conceived, vulnerable to corruption and ultimately ineffective. While Korea Aid marked a backward step for Korea’s development cooperation, revealing many of the challenges associated with emerging donors, it also reflected Korea’s aspiration to become a cultural and developmental alternative to hegemonic nations. This paper examines the historical circumstances that led to the formation of Korea Aid, and further argues that Korea Aid embodied a synthesis of ‘cultural soft power’ and ‘developmental soft power’ intended to create the perception of Korea as culturally and developmentally attractive and benign. Korea’s current pursuit of developmental soft power intentionally transforms the country’s development experience into a ‘politically odourless’ model, masking its authoritarian undercurrent and in turn camouflaging growing aspirations to expand its global influence.

중국기업인의 대 한국 무역장벽인식에 관한 실증연구

This study is an empirical analysis of Chinese businessmen"s perception of Korea"s trade barriers in trade with Korea since the Korea-China FTA. Existing studies in Korea and China have mostly focused on trade barriers to their trade partner from their own perspective, and there have been few studies on their trade barriers from the viewpoint of their trade partner. This study examined the perception of Korea"s trade barriers through the survey from Chinese companies. The result also implies that the degree of dissatisfaction with tariff level is the most influential factor to the support of Korea-China FTA. Certification and cost factors came in second, followed by customs clearance, inspection/quarantine and technical trade barriers factors. In order to develop trade between Korea and China, some points to be considered. First, further negotiations are needed to lower the tariff rates of both countries faster than the FTA negotiations. Second, the drastic abolition of non-tariff measures in both countries. Third, it describes the details of the relaxation of non-tariff measures in the case of new FTAs or further negotiations between FTA partners. Fourth ,minimizing the effect of regulation that hinders trade.

The influence of cultural familiarity on Tanzanian millennials’ perceptions of Korea: the mediating roles of involvement

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships between cultural familiarity (CF), Korean cultural involvement (KCI), involvement with Korean celebrities (IKC), attitude toward a country (ATCOUN), and word-of-mouth (WOM) toward Korea. Survey data were collected from 358 Tanzanian college students within Tanzania in March of 2017. The findings reveal that CF exerted a positive and significant influence on KCI, IKC, and ATCOUN. Moreover, KCI positively and significantly forms both IKC and ATCOUN. Additionally, IKC was a positive influence on ATCOUN. ATCOUN was demonstrated to be a significant predictor of WOM, while KCI was demonstrated to act as a partial mediator between CF and ATCOUN. IKC was a partial mediator between CF and ATCOUN. IKC was a full mediator between KCI and ATCOUN.

Status and Perception of Risk Management in Radiation Therapy: Survey Among Korean Medical Physicists.

This study was conducted as part of an endeavor to improve the risk management system of radiation therapy departments in the Republic of Korea. An online survey on the status and perception of Korea's medical physicists on risk management in radiation therapy was carried out. A total of 40 domestic radiation oncology departments participated. This survey is divided into three categories: (1) work environment; (2) risk management status; and (3) opinions on how to improve risk management. Based on the results of the survey, the conclusions that can be derived are (1) the majority of respondents have a high interest in the risk management of radiation therapy; (2) the lack of staffing is one cause of risk management difficulties; (3) a risk-related terminology and classification system at the national or professional association level are required; (4) each hospital should create a voluntary reporting system for the handling of incidents; (5) medical physicists should establish incident reporting, analysis and countermeasures; and (6) government should develop education and training programs. It was confirmed that the current risk management system should be changed by education in the hospital and at the national level in order to improve risk management related to radiation therapy. In addition, it was recognized that a dedicated staff and a risk management certification system and organization for patient safety in radiotherapy are needed.

도카이 산시(東海散士) 『가인지기우』(佳人之奇遇)의 조선 인식 : ‘사소설’적 가능성과 관련하여

도카이 산시(東海散士) 『가인지기우』(佳人之奇遇)의 조선 인식 : ‘사소설’적 가능성과 관련하여

한국의 전문가 인식조사 분석을 통한 통합적 농촌개발사업의 추진방향에 관한 연구

농촌지역개발정책은 시대별, 정부별 변화과정을 거쳐 주민의 삶의 질 개선에 기여해 왔다. 그러나 단위사업 중심의 사업추진의 문제점을 개선하기 위해 통합적 지역개발사업에 대한 필요성이 제기되고 있다. 본 연구는 통합적 지역개발사업의 필요성으로 부터 출발한 연구이다. 정책방향을 설정하기 위해 전문가 및 담당공무원들을 대상으로 인식조사 실시하였다.BR 분석결과, 농촌지역개발정책의 투자 효율성 향상 및 시너지 효과창출을 도모하기 위해서는 우리나라의 여건에 적합한 새로운 통합적 개발정책이 필요한 것으로 나타났다. 무엇보다, 부처 간 연계 및 협력사업 추진과 삶의 질 개선이라는 공동목표를 위한 예산의 통합, 시설의 통합, 프로그램의 통합 등이 필요하다는 지적이다. 특히, 통합적 접근이 매우 필요한 사업이나, 다양한 이해 당사자들의 견해가 반영되고 조정되어야 하는 사업의 경우에는, 통합예산제도를 활용하여 사업을 전개함으로서 정책의 통합성을 높여야 한다.

An Analysis of Discussions on "Korea is the Second Ireland": Focused on John Dewey

John Dewey, a well-known American educational philosopher who had led the so-called progressive educational movement in early 20 th century, visited East Asia around 1920 for a while. Facts about his visit, not to mention the meaning or impact of his visit, were not fully researched yet, while his educational thoughts have had deep and wide impacts on educational theory and practices in this region since then. Especially Korea is one of the countries in Asia where the thought and theory of John Dewey extended strong influence in educational reforms and academic debates on schooling. Before and after his visit of East Asia, John Dewey expressed his notion about East Asian countries including Korea. His visit, as a matter of course, was done based on his knowledge about this region. This paper is interested in looking for the background, contents, and the significance of his perception of Korea around 1920 when Korea was under the colonial rule of imperial Japan and the name John Dewey was in every intellectual’s mouth. There is not a single article or document on Korea written by John Dewey. Some sentences or paragraphs on Korea are found among his works on Japan and China written by him around 1920. These recordings are fortunately included in the 15 volumes of collection of John Dewey’s middle works compiled by Jo Ann Boydston and published by Southern Illinois University in 1982. These are some parts of the full collection of his writings, making up 37 volumes. This collection is to be analyzed carefully for this research. Dewey’s perception of Korea is well condensed, I assume, in his expression “Korea is the second Ireland” which he used in an article on China in 1919. I would like to clarify the reason why Dewey identified Korea with Ireland by comparing him with other intellectuals who used the same metaphor in Korean history.

Perception of Korea in Relation to Mission Work of American Protestants in Korea During Late-19th and Early-20th Centuries: comparing the cases of China, Japan, and Korea as reflected in the articles of The Missionary Review of the World

Perception of Korea in Relation to Mission Work of American Protestants in Korea During Late-19th and Early-20th Centuries: comparing the cases of China, Japan, and Korea as reflected in the articles of The Missionary Review of the World