• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.392-402
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• 2009

Objectives : The aims of this paper were to develop the composite deprivation index (CDI) for the sub-district (Eup-Myen-Dong) levels based on the theory of social exclusion and to explore the relationship between the CDI and the standardized mortality ratio (SMR). Methods : The paper calculated the age adjusted SMR and we included five dimensions of social exclusion for CDI; unemployment, poverty, housing, labor and social network. The proxy variables of the five dimensions were the proportion of unemployed males, the percent of recipients receiving National Basic Livelihood Security Act benefits, the proportion of households under the minimum housing standard, the proportion of people with a low social class and the proportion of single-parent household. All the variables were standardized using geometric transformation and then we summed up them for a single index. The paper utilized the 2004-2006 National Death Registry data, the 2003-2006 national residents' registration data, the 2005 Population Census data and the 2005-2006 means-tested benefit recipients' data. Results : The figures were 115.6, 105.8 and 105.1 for the CDI of metropolitan areas (big cities), middle size cities and rural areas, respectively. The distributional variation of the CDI was the highest in metropolitan areas (8.9 - 353.7) and the lowest was in the rural areas (26.8 - 209.7). The extent and relative differences of deprivation increased with urbanization. Compared to the Townsend and Carstairs index, the CDI better represented the characteristics of rural deprivation. The correlation with the SMR was statistically significant and the direction of the CDI effects on the SMR was in accordance with that of the previous studies. Conclusions : The study findings indicated mortality inequalities due to the difference in the CDI. Despite the attempt to improve deprivation measures, further research is warranted for the consensus development of a deprivation index.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.57
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• pp.183-215
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• 2017

This study analyzes Korean childcare policy from a caring democracy perspective by using the normative policy analysis method. In the midst of emergent new social risks engendered by low fertility and aging population, feminist scholars proposed a transformative paradigm shift from economic growth to caring oriented development on a macro scale but researches on how this grand principle can be reflected into each policy have hardly been discussed. Thus, this study intends to contribute to such policy-driven discussion by analysing childcare policy on the basis of three normative values of freedom, equality and justice re-interpreted by caring democracy theory. Following are key findings. First, childcare policy does not guarantee public value and social solidarity due to the limitations of free choice from the perspective of freedom. Secondly, gender and class stratification has been worsened in a multiple and more complicated way by adding generational and racial dimensions to the existing gender inequality and vicious circulation of private care is observed from equality perspective. Thirdly, structural inequality aggravated injustice previously accumulated in the past rather than providing flat ground by adjustment.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.57-84
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• 2008

This study investigates the patterns of leisure in Korea and the effects of social class on the objective and subjective dimension of leisure activities and life satisfaction. A data set of 1376 Korean men and women over 18 years old is analyzed to yield five main results. First, Korean prefers domestic entertainment to outdoor activities as is exemplified by domestic audio-visual entertainment(TV/DVD/VCR) which ranks the highest in the favored leisure activity. Leisure activities are divided into four types; "activity-based", "relationship-based", "alcohol-based", "relaxation". Second, the function of leisure activity is to strengthen relationships. The main purpose of leisure activity is to relax and revitalize, while creating prospective social network ranks next to relax. But the effect of leisure time is often compromised by recurring thoughts related to work. Third, respondents with high educational and economic backgrounds are more likely to engage in "relationship-based," "activity-based", "alcohol-based" leisure type. However, such factors do not influence on "relaxation" type of leisure. While students and housewives rank highest in number of respondents, respondents with managerial/professional or white-collar/semi-professional occupations enjoy more diverse activities. Fourth, the effort to discern the significance of social class with respect to the leisure-activity-index revealed followings; the index scores elevate with higher education, younger age and higher income. Fifth, leisure-activity-index is the most important variable predicting leisure satisfaction. Leisure satisfaction is influenced by gender, age, income and occupation. The younger the age and higher the income, the higher it is the leisure satisfaction. Men are more satisfied with leisure activities than women. Students experience the highest satisfaction with leisure activities while service/sales workers, industrial/technical/blue-collar workers shows the least satisfaction. Also, the number of family members decreases significantly the leisure satisfaction. While "activity-based" leisure induces the highest satisfaction, "alcohol-based" leisure produces the least satisfaction. The frequency and diversity of leisure activities, and "activity-based" leisure incur the most positive effects on the life satisfaction.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.27 no.4_2
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• pp.961-972
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• 2024

As the global elderly population rapidly increases, the mental health of the elderly, particularly depression, has emerged as a significant social issue. This study analyzes the various factors influencing depression in the elderly based on the ICF model. Utilizing data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study, the study identifies the types of changes in depression among individuals aged 65 and older and examines the factors influencing these changes. This longitudinal secondary data analysis research uses the most recent three years of data (2021-2023) from the Korea Welfare Panel. The study sample consisted of 965 elderly individuals, and a latent class growth model was applied to identify the types of depression changes, while a multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the influencing factors. The analysis revealed that elderly depression could be categorized into four types: high-level decrease, high-level maintenance, low-level increase, and low-level maintenance. Main influencing factors included gender, age, education, poverty, social trust, social relationships, participation in economic activities, participation in religious activities, and health status. Particularly, social relationships and health status were significant factors affecting the types of depression changes. To mitigate depression in the elderly, a multifaceted approach considering both individual characteristics and social relationships and health status is required. The study suggests the development of community-based programs and trust-building activities at the community level to maintain and strengthen the social relationships of the elderly. These findings can serve as important foundational data for policies and practices aimed at improving the mental health of the elderly.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.5-28
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• 2018

Smoking is one of the important public health concerns because it is preventable causes regarding individuals' negative health consequences and increased social and economic cost. However, few studies have examined longitudinal patterns of stages of changes(SOC) in smoking behaviors among the general population. The purpose of the study is to explore the latent patterns of SOC over time among Korean adult smokers using the 2008-2016 Korea Welfare Panel Study. A repeated measure latent class analysis is employed in the present study. The finding of the present study are as follows: First, four latent groups were identified: (1) action/maintenance stage(33.6%), (2) contemplation/preparation to action/maintenance stage(14.8%), (3) continuously contemplation/preparation stage(29.6%), and (4) continuously pre-contemplation stage(22.1%). Second, the results of a multinomial logistic regression found that socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were associated with the identified longitudinal patterns of smoking behaviors. Compared to a continuously pre-contemplation stage, higher levels of depressive symptoms and drinking behavior were associated with increased odds of being in action/maintenance stage. The findings of the present study highlight that a tailored intervention is needed for individuals with continuously pre-contemplation stage and contemplation stage.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.1-19
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• 2022

As the untact culture spreads, the digital divide, which is a problem of access to digital information for the vulnerable, can appear as information inequality in various fields, including the social and cultural field. This study identified the digital divide level for the vulnerable population and analyzed the effects of information accessibility, demographic and social characteristics, and physical and mental health characteristics on the information level. As a result, the higher the accessibility of information, the smaller the digital divide and the greater the digital utilization, so it is necessary to increase the accessibility of information devices and increase the ability to utilize them. In addition, the higher the age, the more women than men, and the lower the income level, the greater the digital divide, so it is necessary to increase digital capabilities through detailed class-specific programs for the vulnerable. Finally, it was found that the digital divide and the level of digital literacy had a significant effect on the life satisfaction and daily life satisfaction of the vulnerable. The expansion of competency-building education programs to enhance information utilization capabilities by changing the paradigm to a digital inclusion policy should be continuously operated.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.44-54
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• 2014

In spite of effective curative therapy, morbidity and mortality remain high for hospitalized patients with tuberculosis(TB) in Korea. The purpose of this study was to identify patient and hospital characteristics associated with hospital care outcome. Using annual patient survey data produced by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affair, we identified 8,562 hospital discharge with primary diagnosis of TB. Logistic regression analyses were performed on a model that included age, gender, residence area, insurance status, hospital admission source, length of stay, hospital ownership and class of hospital as the explanatory variables and outcome of treatments as the dependent variable. The results show that negative outcome was associated with the patients older than 65 years, medical aid beneficiary, admission through emergency department, and the patients admitted to public owned hospitals. On the other hand, the patients who were admitted to teaching hospitals were associated with positive outcome. To improve hospital treatment outcome of TB patients, more vigorous strategies should be implemented targeting the older and poor population in regard to social support as well as the clinical management and prevention.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.75-89
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• 2017

Sinkholes are key karst landforms that primarily evolve through the dissolution of limestone, and it posing a significant threat to roads, buildings, and other man-made structures. This study aims to analyze the area susceptible to sinkhole development using GIS and to identify potential danger area from sinkholes. Eight sinkhole related factors (slope angle, distance to caves, distance to faults, bedrock lithology, soil depth, drainage class, distance to mines, and distance to traffic routes) were constructed as spatial databases with sinkhole inventory. Based on the spatial database, sinkhole susceptibility maps were produced using nearest neighbor distance and frequency ratio models. The maps were verified with prediction rate curve and area under curve. The result indicates that the nearest neighbor distance and frequency ratio models predicted 95.3% and 94.4% of possible sinkhole locations respectively. Furthermore, to identify potential sinkhole danger area, the susceptibility map was compared with population distribution and land use map. It has been found that very highly susceptible areas are along Osipcheon and southeast southwest part of Hajang-myeon and south part of Gagok-myeon of Samcheok-si. Among those areas, it has been identified that potential sinkhole danger areas are Gyo-dong, Seongnae-dong, Jeongna-dong, Namyang-dong and Dogye-eup. These results can be useful in the aspects of land use planning and hazard prevention and management.

• 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.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.2 s.57
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• pp.293-307
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• 1997

In Korea, sudden deaths of middle-aged and older male workers who are the responsible persons at home as well as workplace, have aroused social concern. Besides, U. N. has reported recently that mortality of Korea male in 40-50's was one of the highest among newly developed countries in 1992. Not much is, however, known about the nature of the work contributing to the mortality of different groups of workers. Therefore, this study was done to examine mortality of public servants, comprising about 5% of all the employed in Korea, according to their job titles and grades. The datas of 1753 official deaths, comprised 323 (only disease-oriented deaths) applicants of survivors' compensation, were used to examine age-adjusted Standardized Mortality Ratios(SMRs) according to their job titles, grades, tenures and cause of deaths. Controlling age and sex difference was conducted using 26,950,481 general population, 95,340 general deaths and 864,560 working public servants. All the groups were aged 20-64, who were being observed January - December in 1993, at the same time. Results and discussions are as follows. 1. SMRs standardized by general population was significantly low (SMR 44.9 CI 42.8-52.7) for all job titlses. Of public servants, 90.0% was graduated from high school, although 17.5% in general population. The distinction of social status such a education may produce a strong healthy worker effect. Besides, SMRs for different tenure groups showed a steady increase as tenure increases. This suggests that the magnitude of healthy-worker effect may be greater with increasing tenures. 2. SMRs standardized by own public servants was significantly elevated for work-men(SMR 121.0, CI 110.2-132.6) in solitue. When SMRs for different grade, of work-men was examined, 9th(SMR 124.2, CI 104.4-146.7) and 10th(SMR 137.9 CI 120.8-156.8)grade, lower grade in workmen, showed significantly elevated SMRs. Of workmen, 57.0% were graduated from high school and 50.1% in 9th grade, as well. These mean that low economic states made up social class, education may increase mortality rate. 3. Of SMRs according to all causes of death, only policemen on 'cause of death related hypertensive disease'(SMR 282.5, CI 121.6-556.7) was significantly high except for' cause of death related other signs, symptoms and ill-defined conditions'. 4. When SMRs on cause of death related hypertensive disease for different grade of policemen was examined, senior policemen(SMR 241.9), in charge of the front service, showed elevated SMR, in spite of statistical no significance. Especially, the working hour of senior policemen is quite long and also the work schedule is even more irregular for policemen. The results of this study showed that mortality for different jobs differed, and it differed also for different grades in the same job. This difference in mortality may reflect the difference in the nature of job contents, and further studies are warranted to elucidate which job characteristics are responsible.