South Korea's Policy Research Articles

Globalization as a Policy: Initiation and Implementation of the Segyehwa Policy in South Korea, 1993–2003

This article examines the formulation and implementation of the Segyehwa (globalization) policy in South Korea from 1993 to 2003. The policy was initially formulated and implemented by the Kim Young-sam government (1993–1998). The article argues that while much of the focus, when it comes globalization, tends to emphasize economic issues, the main goal of the state initated Segyehwa policy was to enhance the South Korea’s global position in both economic and political terms. Taking a qualitative empirical approach the article analyses the historical context of the goals, in particular economic and political, that were set by the Kim government, as well as the outcomes of these policies. While the Segyehwa policy was, and remains, the target of significant opposition, with some sectors within society feeling threatened by the policy, the purpose of the policy, to significantly increase South Korea’s global position was not only continued by the Kim Dae-jung government, that succeed the Kim Young-sam government, but also by most of the governments since 2003.

Changes in dementia treatment patterns associated with changes in the National Policy in South Korea among patients with newly diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease between 2011 and 2017: results from the multicenter, retrospective CAPTAIN study

BackgroundThe South Korean government has been actively involved in plans to combat dementia, implementing a series of national strategies and plans since 2008. In July 2014, eligibility for mandatory long-term care insurance (LTCI) was extended to people with dementia enabling access to appropriate long-term care including the cognitive function training program and home nursing service. This study aimed to investigate changes in treatment patterns for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) between July 2011 and June 2017 which spanned the 2014 revision.MethodsThis multicenter, retrospective, observational study of patients with newly diagnosed AD analyzed electronic medical records from 17 general hospitals across South Korea. Based on their time of AD diagnosis, subjects were categorized into Cohort 1 (1 July 2011 to 30 June 2014) and Cohort 2 (1 July 2014 to 30 June 2017).ResultsSubjects (N=3,997) divided into Cohorts 1 (n=1,998) and 2 (n=1,999), were mostly female (66.4%) with a mean age of 84.4 years. Cohort 1 subjects were significantly older (P<0.0001) and had a lower number of comorbidities (P=0.002) compared with Cohort 2. Mean Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores in Cohorts 1 and 2 at the time of AD diagnosis or start of initial treatment were 16.9 and 17.1, respectively (P=0.2790). At 1 year, mean MMSE scores in Cohorts 1 and 2 increased to 17.9 and 17.4, respectively (P=0.1524). Donepezil was the most frequently administered medication overall (75.0%), with comparable rates between cohorts. Rates of medication persistence were ≥98% for acetylcholinesterase inhibitor or memantine therapy. Discontinuation and switch treatment rates were significantly lower (49.7% vs. 58.0%; P<0.0001), and mean duration of initial treatment significantly longer, in Cohort 2 vs. 1 (349.3 vs. 300.2 days; P<0.0001).ConclusionsComparison of cohorts before and after revision of the national LTCI system for dementia patients found no significant difference in mean MMSE scores at the time of AD diagnosis or start of initial treatment. The reduction in the proportion of patients who discontinued or changed their initial treatment, and the significant increase in mean duration of treatment, were observed following revision of the LTCI policy which enabled increased patient access to long-term care.

O Estado de bem-estar desenvolvimentista na Coreia do Sul sob a globalização

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the expansion of social policies in South Korea during the context of globalization, by linking two theoretical approaches: social investment and the New Developmental State. Applying the case study method, I endorse the hypothesis of complementarily between the welfare state and the developmental state. The article shows that between the 1990s and the 2010s, South Korea expanded all sectors of social policies analyzed. Beyond the expansion of passive policies, active policies (including education) were reshaped in an integrated manner with the industrial policy to promote innovation, pursuing the transition to the knowledge-based society; also the family policy became one of the most generous among OECD countries.

The Effect of Mandatory Auditor Rotation on the Cost of Capital and Credit Ratings: Evidence from Periodic Auditor Designation (PAD) Policy in South Korea

The Effect of Mandatory Auditor Rotation on the Cost of Capital and Credit Ratings: Evidence from Periodic Auditor Designation (PAD) Policy in South Korea

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

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

Evaluation of COVID-19 intervention policies in South Korea using the stochastic individual-based model

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, and countries have responded with various intervention policies to prevent its spread. In this study, we aim to analyze the effectiveness of intervention policies implemented in South Korea. We use a stochastic individual-based model (IBM) with a synthetic population to simulate the spread of COVID-19. Using statistical data, we make the synthetic population and assign sociodemographic attributes to each individual. Individuals go about their daily lives based on their assigned characteristics, and encountering infectors in their daily lives stochastically determines whether they are infected. We reproduce the transmission of COVID-19 using the IBM simulation from November 2020 to February 2021 when three phases of increasingly stringent intervention policies were implemented, and then assess their effectiveness. Additionally, we predict how the spread of infection would have been different if these policies had been implemented in January 2022. This study offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of intervention policies in South Korea, which can assist policymakers and public health officials in their decision-making process.

한국 여성 직업훈련정책의 변천과정 연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the process of change in women's vocational training policies in South Korea from the liberation to the present, and analyze the characteristics of women's vocational training policy.&#x0D; Methods To this end, comprehensive policy documents regarding women’s vocational training policies, such as the 6th - 7th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, the 1st-4th Basic Plan for Women's Policy, the 1st-3rd Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy, the 1st-3rd Basic Plan for vocational Competency Development, are analyzed.&#x0D; Results South Korea's women's vocational training policy progress can be divided into five stages: preparatory stage, nascent stage, settlement stage, development stage, and transition stage. During the preparatory period, from the liberation to the early 1980s, no women's vocational training policy was established, and the focus of women's vocational training was on liberal arts education for vulnerable women. Since the mid-1980s, laws and policies on women's vocational training have been introduced in the nascent stage. From the 1990s, during the settlement period, women’s vocational training policies were actively pursued to expand vocational training opportunities for women. Since the enactment of the Framework Act on Women's Development (1995), a systematic policy for women’s vocational training has been established, leading to the development stage. Lastly, since 2015, during the transition period, policies such as gender mainstreaming of vocational training and expansion of women's vocational training opportunities for high-skilled occupations are promoted.&#x0D; Conclusions Women's vocational training policies in South Korea have progressed along with the development of women's policy. Its policy direction has changed from low-skilled women to high-skilled women training. In addition, the policy target of women’s vocational training was gradually diversified and specified. The results of this study help to understand in depth the characteristics of Korean women's vocational training policies, and furthermore, provide implications for women's vocational training policy in developing countries.

Analysis of South Korean Class Conflict Revealed by Elements of Lies and Violence in Cinema - Parasite as an Example

Since the implementation of neoliberal economic policies in South Korea in the 1990s, the huge gap between the rich and the poor has become a phenomenon, an acute social issue, and a frequent topic of film and television series, which has stimulated a series of topics and discussions critical of capitalism and anti-neoliberalism. This paper examines the class conflicts that exist in South Korean society in the context of the neoliberal economic system. It explores the representation of class conflict and the gap between rich and poor in South Korean film and television productions. This paper applies a case study approach to the film Parasite, through reviewing its narratives and the analysis of mise-en-scne, it deals with the elements of lies and violence to illustrate the class conflicts in South Korean society. The findings of this study highlight the presence of a severe class conflict in South Korean society, which is reflected in the immoral behavior of the lower-class characters in Parasite, as well as in the violent declaration of war within the lower class and towards the upper class.

Forgotten Concepts of Korea’s Welfare State: Productivist Welfare Capitalism and Confucianism Revisited in Family Policy Change

Abstract Understanding the dominant principle(s) of a welfare regime has been the “higher-level” objective of welfare state analysis. East Asian welfare states are no exception, and thus many contributions have sought to understand the welfare state order of these countries. In this article, we consider the development and current architecture of family policies at the center of welfare regime debate for the case of South Korea. Through this analysis we aim to critically assess current assumptions that both original foundations—productivist welfare capitalism and Confucianism—are theoretically useless for understanding the current welfare state and its development. Instead, this article argues that productivism remains at the heart of family policy in South Korea. The repositioning of productivism, however, and the related focus on social reproduction in the welfare state project, have led to most of the changes introduced to the detriment of Confucianism.

가치창출 패러다임 전환을 위한 주요 5개국 인문·기술 융합연구 정책지원 사례 분석

This study examines the evolution of humanities policies in South Korea, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and China over the past 20 years. Each country has taken different initiatives to develop the humanities in tandem with technology. For example, the United States provides a longitudinal support plan to facilitate an interdisciplinary combination of cutting-edge technologies with the humanities, and Japan combines the digitization of the humanities with government-led projects in the economic and IT sectors. Taiwan has also actively promoted collaboration between technology and the humanities as a means of solving social problems, and China has a state-led humanities revitalization plan to nurture new talent. South Korea, following its “Jeju Humanities Statement (1996)”, has not only implemented various programs to generate new knowledge based on the humanities, but also legalized educational policy support for such actions by enacting a “Humanities Law”.&#x0D; Using the triple helix model, we aim to define the actions of its three pillars (i.e., university, government, and industry) and analyze the strategic aspect of the goals and outcomes of each nation's policies. Through word cloud text analysis, 56 keywords were extracted from 34 projects in 5 countries and conceptualized as the following four core strategies: (a) expanding infrastructure, (b) widening research scope, (c) linking to industrialization, and (d) building a digital foundation. Further, this study sheds light on the need to expand humanities research and proposes a new paradigm for interdisciplinary research with the potential to lead social change. In conclusion, our study calls for both the revitalization of existing humanities infrastructures and the cultivation of humanities research integrated with other sectors. We also suggest the need to create an environment in which experts from all fields can actively collaborate, a shift in support mechanisms, and practice-based performance evaluation.

A Comparative Study on Military Climate Crisis Management Policies in South Korea and the United States

The climate crisis is emerging as an extreme crisis for the entire earth and humanity. Recently, the 6th IPCC report was published, but the forecast results are even more disastrous. Accordingly, the United States, one of the world's strongest developed countries, is doing its best to prepare active countermeasures against the climate crisis in the field of defense. In particular, the United States recognizes the climate crisis as one of the biggest threats to national security, and is designing policies based on this perception. However, in the case of South Korea, there is no continuously policy for responding to the climate crisis in the defense sector. In this study, in order to think about the problems of South Korea's defense climate crisis management policy, a comparative study was conducted with the U.S. defense climate crisis management policy. As a result, specific policies for each field are being conceived and implemented in the U.S. defense climate crisis management policy. However, in the case of South Korea, it was confirmed that there is no recognition of the climate crisis as a threat by the Ministry of National Defense and no specific policy.

Exploring stakeholders’ sensemaking of the STEA“M” education policy in South Korea

Exploring stakeholders’ sensemaking of the STEA“M” education policy in South Korea

The Political Economy of Minimum Wage Policies in South Korea and Taiwan: Decision-Making under Strong versus Weak Partisanship

This study conducts a systemic comparison of minimum wage decision-making in Korea and Taiwan. It demonstrates that Korea’s big-business-dominated economy builds confrontational labour–business relations to be exploited by political parties, resulting in partisan decisions on the minimum wage, to a greater extent than Taiwan’s more mixed economy. A large social divide based on the economic structure translates into a substantial partisan difference in minimum wage policies, when endorsed by the unique features of the minimum wage issue and carried out through the agents of the tripartite commission. As seen from the outcomes, a marked difference exists between Korea and Taiwan: Korea shows a dramatic fluctuation in annual minimum-wage increases, whereas Taiwan’s increases remain stable across different governments. Korean governments actively respond to their core constituencies, whether labour or business, while Taiwan governments seek to strike a balance.

P05-010-23 Health Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Policy in South Korea: A Simulation Study

P05-010-23 Health Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Policy in South Korea: A Simulation Study

CULTURAL POLICY IN SOUTH KOREA. MAKING A NEW PATRON STATE. РЕЦЕНЗИЯ НА КНИГУ АВТОРА ХЕ ГЕН ЛИ

The book review «Cultural Policy in South Korea: Making a New Patron State» by Dr. Hye-Kyung Lee presents a comprehensive analysis of the development and evolution of South Korea's cultural policy. The book explores a broad range of historical and social contexts, from the influence of the colonial past on the formation of modern cultural policy to the implications of neoliberal reforms for cultural industries and the cultural phenomenon known as the Korean Wave. The author analyses the dynamics between the state, culture, and society, identifying the specificity of the Korean approach to cultural policy and defining it as a new patron state. Hye-Kyung Lee highlights not only the successful development of South Korea's cultural industries but also points out potential problems and complexities caused by centralization and neoliberal socialization

Sejong's Effects on People's Health: Consequences of a Long Commute

Abstract We examine the health impacts of long commute time by exploiting a large-scale placed-based policy in South Korea. The policy relocated public employers in the capital area to disadvantaged cities. However, some public employees kept their residences in the capital area and spend long hours commuting. Using this change, we estimate two-stage least squares models whose results suggest that having a long commute substantially increases usage of medical services, particularly to treat respiratory, circulatory, and endocrine and metabolic diseases. However, we find mixed effects of long commute time on medical checkup outcomes and health-related activities such as exercise.

Anti-Corruption Policy and Whistle-Blowing Intentions: Quasi-Experimental Evidence From Meritocratic Civil Service Systems

How does an anti-corruption policy shape bureaucrats’ intentions to whistle-blow? Anti-corruption research suggests that civil servants with certain characteristics are more or less likely to blow the whistle, due to a discrepancy in perceptions of expected outcomes within the organizational hierarchy. We test this logic by examining how civil servants’ gender, age, and civil service rank shape changes in their whistle-blowing intentions, leveraging the recent implementation of an anti-corruption policy in South Korea. By analyzing original survey data on over 5,000 civil servants, matching pre- and post-implementation groups, we find that male, older, and high-ranking civil servants, respectively, are more willing to whistle-blow than female, younger, and low-ranking civil servants when the anti-corruption policy is implemented. The implication of this finding is that the greater power and prestige granted to the former groups within the organizational hierarchy may make them more willing to do so.

The Rise of Ethnic Nationalism in South Korea: Moon's North Korea Policy and Inter-Korean Relations

What is the origin of South Korea's North Korea policy under the Moon Jae-in presidency? Are there any underlying assumptions and perspectives behind this policy? What kind of ideas and values have played out in South Korea's policy toward North Korea? By both exploring the idea of nationalism in current world politics and showing its influence on South Korea's policy discourse and orientation, in this article we argue that nationalism is still a powerful political ideology that affects state foreign policy and plays out as a strong variable in trying to make sense of South Korea's North Korea policy. To test this argument, we analyze recent inter-Korean interactions and illustrate how ethnic nationalism shaped the Moon administration's North Korea policy. As long as ethnic nationalism dominates policy debates and affects the policy orientation, the prospect of inter-Korean relations will not be promising.

Air Pollution Coverage, Anti-Chinese Sentiment, and Attitudes Towards Foreign Policy in South Korea.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11366-023-09849-z.

문화다양성 정책 관점에서의 한국연극 동향 분석

This study aimed to figure out the trends of Korean theatre from the perspective of cultural diversity policies. The cultural diversity policies have mainly focused on the social minorities' culture and art activities and participation in Korea, which means that there is a relative shortage of discussion about the diversity of art. The study analyzed the achievements and limitations of cultural diversity policies in South Korea, and distinguished the diversity of art according to intrinsic and extrinsic criteria. Also analyzed in the study were reviews published in Critiques of Theatre for the last six years(2015~2020) based on the criteria of artistic diversity. The analysis results show that the diversity of art in the field not only accepted extrinsic diversity including the nationality, gender, and regional diversity of those who participated and enjoyed, but also realized the values of diversity including the content and formal diversity of artistic works.