• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.270-279
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• 2002

1997년 IMF 경제위기 이후 한국사회의 뚜렷한 변화의 하나는 빈부격차의 확대와 함께 사회계층의 양극화가 진행되고 있다는 점이다. 이 논문의 목적은 사회적 양극화의 주요 원인은 무엇이며, 사회적 양극화가 공간적으로는 어떻게 나타나는가를 서울을 사례로 하여 규명하는 데 있다. 서구 선진자본주의 국가에서 사회적 양극화에 대한 논의는 이미 1990년대 초 세계화 또는 세계도시가 주요한 연구주제로 등장하면서 시작되었다. 1980년대 이후 선진자본주의 국가를 중심으로 한계에 도달한 포드주의 축적체계가 포스트 포드주의로 급속히 전환되면서 사회적 양극화가 자본의 유연화 및 세계화 전략과 맞물리는 현상으로 인식되었기 때문이다. 이런 점에서 최근 전개되고 있는 한국의 사회적 양극화는 서구 선진국과 유사하다. 1997년 경제위기 이후 세계화가 급속히 진행되는 가운데 지식기반경계의 대두로 고소득 전문직이 등장하는 반면, 중산층의 몰락과 더불어 임시적 고용이 확대되고 실업이 만성화되는 등 자본의 세계화와 유연화 과정에서 나타나는 양극화 양상이 보이기 때문이다. 이와 같은 맥락에서 한국의 사회적 양극화는 이미 1990년대 초부터 진행되어 왔으며, IMF 경제위기는 단지 그러한 사회적 양극화를 급속히 진행시키는 방아쇠 역할을 하였다고 할 수 있다. 그러나 양국의 사회적 양극화는 직업구조와 임금소득의 격차만으로 설명하기 어려운 또 다른 특성을 갖는다. 왜곡된 시장구조에서 무엇보다도 부동산과 같은 자산소득의 격차가 큰 역할을 하기 때문이다. 서울은 이와 같은 한국의 사회적 양극화가 한 도시 내에서 전형적으로 전개되는 곳이라고 할 수 있다. 한국 내 어떤 도시보다도 세계화되어 있고 전문지식을 기반으로 하는 산업이 발달하고 있기 때문이다. 서울의 사회적 양극화는 공간적으로도 나타난다. 일반적으로 서울은 크게 주거지로서는 공동화되고 있는 중구 종로구 용산구 등 사대문안의 구도심지역, 강남구 서초구 송파구 등을 중심으로 한 1970년대 이후 계획적으로 계발된 이른바 강남의 신흥주택 및 신산업 지역, 영등포구 구로구 금천구 성동구 동대문구 등 제조업 중심의 구 산업 및 저소득층 주거지역 그리고 그 나머지 강북 강서 강동 등의 전형적인 주거지역 등 4개 유형으로 지역이 구분된다. 그러나 IMF 경제위기 이후에 강남구 서초구 송파구를 중심으로 하는 고소득증의 주거지와 그 나머지 주거지로 공간적 양극화가 이루어지고 있다. 사회적 양극화의 이와 같은 공간화 과정에는 자산소득의 격차를 확대하는 강남구 서초구 송파구의 높은 지가 및 아파트 가격이 중요한 역할을 하고 있다. 높은 부동산 가격이 이 지역에 대한 일종의 진입장벽을 참음으로써 고소득층에 의한 공간독점을 가능하게 하기 때문이다. 공간적 양극화를 촉진하는데는 지하철 및 문화복지시설의 집중 둥 불균형적인 공공투자와 강북에서 이전한 명문고등학교를 중심으로 형성된 8학군 등 양호한 교육환경 또한 중요한 역할을 하고 있다. 서울의 사례에서 확인할 수 있듯이, 한국에서의 사회적 양극화는 직업구조와 임금소득이라는 일반적인 요인 외에도 부동산 가격 및 소득 그리고 생활인프라의 격차를 통해 공간적 양극화물 야기하고 있다. 이러한 현상이 한국내 다른도시에서도 전개되고 있는지, 공간적 양극화로 인한 도시문제는 무엇이고 대처방안은 무엇인지 등에 대해서 후속연구가 요구된다.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2015

It is widely believed that increasing socio-economic polarization inspired by globalization and economic restructuring worsens residential segregation by class in Korean cities. However, the existing literature falls short in showing the recent changes of the residential segregation, particularly after the 1997 financial crisis, with reliable and systematic segregation measures. Noting that there are the two major dimension in residential segregation - evenness-concentration and exposure-clustering - this study introduced not only global measure (dissimilarity index and isolation/interaction index) but also local measures (location quotient and Local Moran's I) for each dimension. These measures are applied to the case study of Seoul in the 2000s. The class is defined by education attainment and the data is obtain through the MicroData System Service System(MDSS). The result shows that the residential segregation by education attainment persists through 2000s and even get worse in some dimension. More significantly, it turns out that high-class and low-class residence are nearly mirror-images of each other, indicating high segregation.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.197-208
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• 2020

This study attempts to identify the structure of class conflict in Korea and to suggest an alternative framework for a empathetic society. The objective and subjective level of satisfaction with life and class consciousness are in direct proportion, and status consistency signifies polarization. Distorted distribution structures and cultural values make income disparity and property disputes widen, which in turn lead to educational divides and status fixations, refracting or blocking the possibility of social mobility. By overcoming the COVID-19 crisis, it is not appropriate to go back to the past but to correct wrong consciousness and practices in the past, and the consistency between the state and members of society must be re-established. Through the process of innovation at the economic, global, and digital level, a major transformation is required in the new normal era, which prioritizes social development for human values. The conflict resolution depends on the solidarity of the community as a social foundation, since an empathetic society needs the trust and communication of the members of the society.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.729-742
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• 2016

Socio-economic polarization in Korea partly due to recent globalization and industrial restructuring could reduce social mobility significantly through passing down educational achievement to one's children. Under the notion that residential segregation is geographical frame for the reproduction of educational inequality, this research investigates residential segregation by educational attainment and neighborhood disparity with a case study of Seoul. The statistical analyses employed local segregation measures such as Location Quotient and Local Moran's I and a variety of variables that reflect neighborhood characteristics. As a result, it found that there are sharp and clear contracts between low- and high-educational group concentrations/clusters particularly in terms of housing characteristics and educational facilities. This results provide some evidences that support the arguments about the causes of residential segregation by class in Korean Cities.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.443-470
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• 2003

This study is to consider economic, political, socio-cultural and environmental characteristics of the new urbanization process and its spatial structures and urban policy of Seoul in the 1990s. Some experimental findings which have been identified throughout this study can be summarized as follows. First of all, Seoul, the largest city in S.Korea has experienced a restructuring process of economy, which has been promoted by the development of producer services as well as knowledge- based or high tech industries. Secondly, the autonomy of Seoul has increased after the introduction of local self-government, with relatively higher self-management of local finance than other cities, strengthening the tendency of enterpreneurialism, empowering civil movements, and increasing the political participation of women. Thirdly, in the socio-cultural aspect, the material wants to gain a certain identity through consumption, using urban environments culturally, varying consuming attitudes and ways of leisure times in relation with the rapid development of transportation and information communication. Fourthly, in the environmental aspect, Seoul has tried to introduce the concept of sustainable development in terms of increasing wants on the quality of life, and to develop a pro-environmental eco-city with environmental rehabilitation, constructing green space and eco-park. Finally, in the spatial dimension, Seoul has shown a structuration of multi-centers, with highly spectacular urban landscapes and seemingly authentic urban planning. These results make us confirm that Seoul has been in the process of new urbanization which can be distinguished from the previous one.

• Convergence Security Journal
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• v.18 no.5_2
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• pp.83-92
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• 2018

Korea is increasingly vulnerable to disasters due to changes in economic and social structure. In particular, there are a number of disadvantaged people, such as elderly people, disabled people, basic livelihood recipients, foreigners, multicultural families, etc. who are vulnerable to social problems due to aging, polarization and internationalization. These vulnerable people to disaster have difficulties in acquiring disaster information and to respond promptly by self-help. Of course, recent studies on vulnerable people to disaster have been steadily increasing, but discussions about foreigners have been relatively inadequate. This has led to a lack of understanding about the actual situation of disaster and coping methods. Once general situations set in, foreigners staying in Korea will suffer from a vicious cycle of policy-making from the viewpoint of Korean and difficulties in obtaining relevant information. In this study, we conducted in-depth interviews on the recognition and acquisition path of disaster information for foreign workers living in Korea. Based on the results of the interviews, we derived implications for practical information, such as ways to understand and actively utilize information media frequently visited by foreign workers in Korea.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.191-200
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• 2017

As Korea experienced a Asian foreign exchange crisis in 1997 and a world financial crisis in 2008, the social structure of Korea has undergone many changes. The problem of polarization has become more serious, and the social class has become harder to move between strata. This problem has been accompanied by a growing sense of crisis that the power of social development can be lost along with the problem of population cliffs. Behind the crisis is a reflection of the fact that the growth-oriented economic policies and welfare policies implemented in various European countries can not solve the problem. As an alternative to this, the emergence of social enterprises is attracting attention. Social enterprises have the characteristic of seeking to generate economic profit in order to achieve the purpose of the public interest to provide jobs to the underprivileged. In recent years, the importance of social ventures to expand the scope of new social enterprises in innovative ways has increased. The social venture is a venture business in that it takes risks to develop new areas, not existing business areas, but it also has the character of a social enterprise to achieve the public interest. In other words, an innovative corporate model that provides a creative and challenging solution of social problems in the venture spirit. Although the interest and importance of social enterprises and social ventures are increasing, this academic research is still lacking. The purpose of this study is to introduce and analyze cases of successful social enterprises and social ventures in order to reflect these social interests and their importance and to fill the gap of previous studies. In addition, I hope that this study will stimulate interest and research on the start - up of social venture.