• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.31-69
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• 2018

This study examines the role of science in resolving trade disputes. After the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011 that not only jeopardized the people of Japan, but also put the safety of an entire region at risk, the Republic of Korea (Korea) has imposed import bans as well as increased testing and certification requirements for radioactive material on Japanese food products. Japan has challenged these restrictions at the World Trade Organizations Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). This study aims to explain how international trade agreements and previous DSB rulings have dealt with different scientific viewpoints provided by confronting parties. In doing so, it will contrast the viewpoints espoused by Korean and Japanese representatives, and then analyzes the most similar case studies previously ruled on by the DSB, including the case of beef hormones and the case of genetically modified crops including biotech corn, both between the United States and the European Communities (EC). This study finds that science is largely subordinate to national interests in the case of state decision-making within the dispute settlement processes, and science has largely been relegated to a supportive role. Due to the ambiguity and lack of truly decisive decisions in the Appellate Body in science-based trade disputes, this study concludes that the Appellate Body avoids taking a firm scientific position in cases where science is still inconclusive in any capacity. Due to the panel's unwillingness to establish expert review boards as it has the power to do, instead favoring an individual-based system so that all viewpoints can be heard, it has also developed a system with its own unique weaknesses. Similar to any court of law in which each opposing party defends its own interests, each side brings whatever scientific evidence it can to defend its position, incentivizing them to disregard scientific conclusions unfavorable to their position. With so many questions that can arise, combined with the problems of evolving science, questions of risk, and social concerns in democratic society, it is no wonder that the panel views scientific information provided by the experts as secondary to the legal and procedural issues. Despite being ruled against the EC on legal issues in two previous cases, the EC essentially won both times because the panel did not address whether its science was correct or not. This failure to conclusively resolve a debate over whose science is more scientific enabled the EC to simply fix the procedural issues, while continuing to enforce trade restrictions based on their scientific evidence. Based on the analysis of the two cases of disputes, Korea may also find itself guilty of imposing an unwarranted moratorium on Japan's fish exports, only to subsequently pass new restrictions on labelling and certification requirements because Japan may have much scientific evidence at its disposal. However, Korea might be able to create enough uncertainty in the panel to force them to rule exclusively on the legal issues of the case. This will then equip Korea, like the EC in the past, with a way of working around the ruling, by changing whatever legal procedure they need to while maintaining some, if not most, of its restrictions when the panel fails to address its case on scientific grounds.

• Strategy21
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• s.34
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• pp.128-148
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• 2014

In south Korea, the so-called 'conservative-liberal' rivalry over the assessment of the government's North Korean policies is seen to be impeding the road to right policy choices. For example, the liberals accused former President Lee Myung-bak's hardline policy of provoking Pyongyang and leading to a deterioration of inter-Korean relations, while the conservatives appreciated it for helping nurture mutually beneficial inter-Korean relations in the longer term by compelling North Korea to observe international norms. However, such debate over the vices and virtues of Seoul's North Korea policies is hardly meaningful as the measuring sticks used by the liberals and the conservatives are entirely different matters. The two major goals South Korea must pursue with its North Korean policies should be 'peaceful management of division' and 'change in North Korea'. The former is related to maintaining stability within South Korea and promoting co-prosperity with North Korea. For this, the nation needs to engage, encompass and assist the Pyongyang regime. The second goal is also necessary since South Korea, as a divided nation, must seek a unified Korea under the system of democracy and market economies by bringing change in North Korea. For this, South Korea needs powerful leverages with which it can persuade and coerce the North. This means that the nation is destined to simultaneously chase the above-mentioned two goals, while also both recognizing and negating the legitimacy of the North Korean regime. This situation necessitates Seoul to apply flexibility in reconciling with Pyongyang while applying firm principles to sever the vicious circle involving the North's military provocations. The May 25 Measures, which banned trade and economic cooperation with the North except those related to humanitarian assistance, were taken as sanctions against Pyongyang for sinking the South Korean corvette Chonan in March 2010. The Measures were taken by the Seoul government immediately after a multinational investigation team discovered evidence confirming that the South Korean naval ship had been torpedoed by a midget North Korean submarine. Naturally, the May 24 Measures have since then become a major stumbling block in inter-Korean exchange, prompting opposition politicians and concerned entrepreneurs to demand Seoul to unilaterally lift the Measures. Given the significant damages the Measures have inflicted on inter-Korean economic relations, removing them remains as homework for both Koreas. However, the Measures pertains to the 'principles on national security' the Seoul government must adhere to under all circumstances. This is why North Korea's apology and promises not to repeat similar provocations must come first. For now, South Korea has no alternative but to let North Korea solve the problems it has created. South Korea's role is to help the North do so.

• Journal of Ethics
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• no.80
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• pp.1-30
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• 2011

Confucianism and Buddhism were compatible in the period of Goryeo Dynasty. And then, the rulers worshiped Confucianism and repressed the religious activity of the Buddhist monk in the early years of the Joseon Dynasty. But King Sejong planed to bring reconciliation between Confucianism and Buddhism. Especially on the ceremonies of mourning and sacrificial rituals, he always performed the two religious style. The reason of sticking to his amicable consciousness is as follows. Firstly, he thinks that both the theory of Confucianism and the religious spirit of Buddhism are very important for the building up the foundation of his Dynasty. Secondly, his mind has been of a same faith cure on the incurable disease. Therefor, when the Royal family is taken ill he must pray to Buddha for recovery from the first stage. Thirdly, he regards social conditions to be the most important and respect for man's life and dignity for the purpose of beneficent administration. But Joseon's government line was the anti-Buddhist policy. So, the policy came in the wake of a debate among King Sejong and Confucian government officials. However his harmonious mind was unchanged between Confucianism and Buddhism. After all, in the last phase of his life he was deeply religious on Buddhism. I think that King Sejong's amicable consciousness could make a contribution to overcome religious conflicts and to create a new political cultural form in the modern society

• Korean Journal of Health Psychology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2011

Coercive treatment in mental health has undergone an immense period of philosophical and clinical debate and yet it remains as a highly important issue in which ideology and practice contradict each other. this study focused on the perceived coercion of the persons with mental disorder and analyzed how the characteristics of mental disorder(psychiatric symptoms, psycho-social functions, insight, and the degree of awareness on the need for treatment) and experiences in the process of hospitalization (legal status, coercive measures, and procedural justice) can predict perceived coercion. The participants of this study were 302 patients that has been hospitalized in the psychiatric ward within the period of 4 weeks. 195 participants(64.6%) were male and 106(35.1%) participants were female. MAES, BPRS, GAF, Insight, Legal Status, Coercive Measures, and Need for Treatment were measured. Regression analysis was used to analyze how much perceived coercion can be predicted by characteristics of mental disorder such as the patients' BPRS, GAF, insight, and need for treatment. As a result it showed that among the characteristics of mental disorder insight and awareness of the need for treatment were the main predictors and the characteristics of experiences during hospitalization such as procedural justice, coercive measures, and legal status all displayed significant predictability. As well as implications of results in a practical method of intervention to reduce perceived coercion, the paper discussed issues for limitations and future consideration.

• Issues in Feminism
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.123-158
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• 2010

For the last several months, abortion debates have sparkled in Korea. The government has escalated the need of active punishment of illegal abortions to solve low fertility problems, while some obstetricians and gynecologist have proclaimed stoppage of illegal abortions suing colleague doctors who has conducted illegal abortions. Women's rights groups and researchers have also responded to the abortion debate claiming that women's decisions over their pregnancy are important in making of abortion policies. To contribute to Korean abortion debates, his paper aims to analyze European experiences of abortion polices in relation to the consequences on women's health. For the analysis of European abortion experiences, three countries - Ireland, U.K, and Netherland -are chosen. These three countries are selected since their legal and social acceptance of abortion and the level of safe abortion system are different. Each country is reviewed by national abortion policy, legal regulation, medical system and the role of civil society. The analysis shows several implications for abortion debates occurring in Korea. Various systematic policy mechanisms - abortion on women' request, abortions without complicated doctor's referrals, transparent and anonymous counseling and information provision regarding abortion, training and education for medical professionals to guarantee high quality abortion, abortions funded publicly for women to improve their access to abortions, steady monitoring and auditing abortion procedures and outcomes for safe abortion and so on - are required in Korean society. Two track procedures - safe abortion on women's request and prevention of unwanted pregnancy - are needed for reproduction of healthy women and society.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.337-346
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• 2023

Although wildlife bridge are built as a way to reduce habitat fragmentation caused by road construction, there is still a lot of debate about their effectiveness. Monitoring methods such as footprint traps and camera traps are used evaluate the effectiveness of wildlife bridge, but there is a limit to evaluate of effectiveness. In this study, the degree of use the wildlfe bridge was surveyed by striped field mouse that is likely use the wildlife bridge and surrounding as a habitat with capture-mark-recapture method.(Apodemus agraius). The distance and route of movement were identified by connecting the capture points, and the environmental factors on the use of the wildlife bridge implemented a generalized linear model(GLM) with the capture number of captured as a dependent variable. Consequently of capture, no individuals crossing the wildlife bridge, striped field mouse use the wildlife bridge as a habitat.The environmental factors affecting the use of mice were vegetation cover(1~2m, 2~8m, over 8m), vegetation construction, maximum diameter at breast height were positively correlated and slope was nagatively correlated. In conclusion, it is expected that the effectiveness of the wildlife bridge will be further improved by planting shrubs and trees and preventing high slope and cut slope increasing the utilization of the rat, such as being used as a food source in the ecosystem.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.17-23
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• 2023

This study purports to explore the landscape of welfare attitudes of young generation of Korea in their 20s and 30s focusing upon potential differences from those of older generations. Korea has recently been in the significant debate on pension reform and the disadvantages of relatively young generations has been on of the most crucial issues during the reform. Survey data from 17th Korean Welfare Panel are analyzed and such variable as attitudes toward government expenditure on public pension, health care, old age support, poverty, family and child care and so on. In addition, welfare-related variables such as universalism vs selectivism, tax increase for welfare expenditure, and political orientation are to be analyzed. The results show several findings. First of all, correspondence analysis shows that young generation in Korea are strongly associated with higher education and full time employment compared to older generations. Secondly, the most interested welfare issues of young generations are housing and child support. Moreover, young generations' attitudes toward government expenditure increase differ from those of older generations on the issues of public pension, housing, and family and child support. Lastly, political orientation of those young generation tend to be progressive and they support universalism in welfare policy, but they do not support tax increase for welfare purpose, which, I would say, is inconsistent.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.18-34
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• 2024

This study aimed to examine the effects of a science-learning program based on data visualization on the science inquiry and creative problem-solving abilities of elementary school science-gifted students. Accordingly, this research developed a data visualization science-learning program using Tableau, which had twelve sessions. The subjects encompassed 61 students in three gifted classes taught by the researcher. The scientific inquiry ability test and creative problem-solving ability test modified to suit the environment and situation were given to the subjects before and after the treatment. The results confirmed that science learning based on data visualization had no significant impact on basic science inquiry skills. Among the subdomains, significant results were obtained only in the reasoning subdomain. Moreover, integrative inquiry ability was significantly affected, unlike basic inquiry abilities. Among the five subdomains, significant differences were observed in three subdomains (data conversion, data interpretation, and variable control). However, concerning the generation of hypotheses and the control of variables, students exhibited confusion regarding the process of variable control and the exact concept of hypothesis development. This study also evaluated the effects of the program's application on creative problem-solving abilities and found a significant impact. Additionally, it was significantly different in all four subdomains. The results were interpreted to be owing to the students' mastery of Tableau's features, collaborative learning through discussion and debate, and the thematic impact of the data visualization program emphasizing procedural thinking. Finally, this study presented implications for science learning based on data visualization and the future direction of education.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.593-610
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' views on the value of school science lessons and the aspects of science lessons that appeal to students. For the investigation, semi-structured in-depth interviews with 16 secondary school students were conducted. The results showed that about half of the participants thought that science lessons are important, but not all students have to learn science. And they considered only intrinsic interest and career hopes as critical elements in judging the necessity of science education for all. To appeal to students: first, science lessons should have relevance to students' career hopes, interest, curiosity, abilities, real life, experiences, and test scores. Second, they should acquire students' understanding. Third, they should include more experiments. Finally, they should be related to real life, reflect students' interest and concerns, and link new things with what students already know in terms of contexts and contents. Students thought that science lessons are not suitable for students who don't desire to pursue a science-related career. This suggests that present science curriculum perceived by students doesn't match well with the idea of science education for all. To overcome this problem, students need to be included in the debate about the relevance of science curriculum.

• Bangmulgwan gwa yeongu (The National Museum of Korea Journal)
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• v.1
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• pp.18-35
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• 2024

The Tomb of Jang Mui was discovered and investigated during the Japanese colonial era. It has provided key archaeological material for identifying the Daebang Commandery mentioned in historical records as Sariwon in Hwanghae-do Province when some bricks used in the construction of the tomb were found to be stamped with the official title "Prefect of Daebang Commandery." The discovery of the Tomb of Jang Mui served to confirm that the brick chamber tombs found along the Daedonggang River in 1909 were related to the Nangnang Commandery. It can be viewed as a major archaeological breakthrough that settled a debate over the locations of the Daesu River and Daebang Commandery that had been ongoing since the early Joseon Dynasty. Despite its significance for archeology and ancient Korean history, the circumstances of the discovery and investigations of the Tomb of Jang Mui have not been thoroughly examined. Inscribed bricks and roof tiles unearthed during the excavation conducted by Sekino Tadashi in 1912 are currently housed at The University Museum of The University of Tokyo. A number of other bricks excavated from the Tomb of Jang Mui are in the collection of the National Museum of Korea. Main agents of the investigations into these materials have not all been identified. Only some records on the materials collected during the investigations by Nomori Gen and others specify the main investigators. Inscribed bricks from other related tombs are also found in the Tokyo National Museum and at several universities in Japan. It is hoped that a comprehensive report incorporating all these materials can be written. Based on a reinterpretation of its structure conducted by Jung In-seung in 2010, the Tomb of Jang Mui has been dated to 348. This means it was not built during the Daebang Commandery period. The most compelling archaeological evidence regarding the location of the Daebang Commandery and its local capital has been undermined. It is hoped that active discussions will be held on the issue of the Daebang Commandery and its local capital.