• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.148-162
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• 1993

There is much speculation that modern capi-talist society is undergoing fundamental and qualitative chnge towards flexible specialization. The purpose of this study is to examine this hypothesis. This paper focusses on: the idea of flexible specialization; the significance of this transition; industrial district; and the implicati-ons of this new production system for Korean industrial space. Main arguments of this study are as follows: First, as all different groups of researchers apply the idea of flexible specialization according to their own specifications, the current debate on this topic is not much fruitful. Not surpri-singly, the concept of flexible specialization has overlapped with subocontracting. This intergration of subcontracting into flexible specialization systems, however, is inappropriate because the two concepts have different historical contexts. The other cause of this controversy is its inherent weekness, conceptual ambiguity. Thus, today's flexibility becomes tomorrow's rigidity. Secondly, transition towards flexible speciali-zation has only been partially achieved even in advanced capitalist countries. The application of dualistic explanatory framework, such as rigidity versus flexibiity, mass production versus small-lot multi-product production, and de-skilling versus re-skilling, has resulted in great exaggeration of the transformation, from Fordism to post-Fordism. There is no intermediary part between two places. Considering that the workers allocated to the Fordist mass production assembly line are not as large as one might imagine, the shift from mass to flexible production has only limited implications for the transformation of capitalist economy. Thirdly, 'industrial district' contorversy has contributed to highlighting the importance of small firms and areas as production space. The agglomeration of small firms in specific areas is common in Korea, but it is quite different from the industrial district based on flexible specialization. The Korean phenomenon stems from close interactions with its major parent firm rather than interactions between flexible, specialized, autonomous and technology-intensive smll firms. Most Korean subcontractors are still low-skilled, labour-intensive, and heavily dependent on their mojor parent firms. Thus, the assertion that the Seoul Metropolitan Area adopts flexible specialization has no base. Fourthly, the main concern of flexible speciali zation is small firms. However, the corporate organization that needs product diversification and technological specialization is oligopolistic large corporations typified by multinational corporations. It is because of this that most of these organizations are adoptiong Fordist mass production methods. The problem of product diversification will be resolved naturally if economic internationalization progresses further. What is more important for business success is the quality and price competitiveness of firms rather than product diversification. Lastly, in order to dispel further misunderst-anding on this issue, it is imparative that the conceptual ambiguity is resolved most urgently. This study recommends adoption of more speci-fied and direct terminology (such as, factory automation, computer design, out-sourcing, the exploitation of part-time labor, job redesign) rather than that of ideological ones (such as, Taylorism, Fordism, neo-Taylorism, neo-Fordism, post-fordism, flexible specialization, peripheral post-Fordism). As the debates on this topic just started, we still have long way to go until consensus is reached.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.766-783
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• 2006

This study describes philosophical background regarding '虛' in oriental medicine in an effort to understand the relationships among some of the Eastern philosophy in accordance with differentiated meanings in several resources by analyzing examples of '虛' in Huang Di Nei Jing. The various usages of '虛' used in Huang Di Nei Jing are as follows: naming; condition of pulse; emptiness; '太虛' which was referred universal space by Chinese ; insufficiency, lack or scarcity, deficiency ; and the description of vitality, mental faculties. 外丹修煉(training by external substances) had the attitude do that withdraw the death by taking external materials. The meaning of '虛'in 外丹修煉 is similar to that in oriental medicine in terms of deficiency. That is, both 外丹修煉 and the oriental medicine consider that the death and disease are caused by the deficiency of something. However, there also exists difference between 外丹修煉 and the oriental medicine. 外丹修煉 supplements through withdrawal prohibition due to the characteristic of unchangeability and stern or immortal while oriental medicine provides concrete object of deficiency. 精(essence of life), 氣(ki, functional activity), and fe(vitality) not only have been considered as basic component of human body, but they also have been an important subject of health preservation for longevity with health in Taoism and oriental medicine. In oriental medicine, 精 and 氣 have been perceived as physical basis of human body and 神 as controller. 內丹修煉(Training of internal active substances) 掠nds to return to '虛', the early state of life through individual training, and attempts to withdraw death through continuous recurrence. The oriental medicine and 內丹修煉 held great value of 神 among health preservation of 精, 氣, and 神. They seek theoretical basis from philosophical Taoism. However, '虛' in Taoism is different from that in training by internal substances and oriental medicine: '虛' in philosophical Taoism has metaphysical concept which refers overcome of life and death, but '虛' in 內丹修煉 and oriental medicine have empirical concept. '太虛' is considered as formless space where it is emp Dut filled with 氣. It is conceptualized with the premise of the relevant adaptation of human body to natural environment theory referring that the interaction between the heaven and the earth makes changes; all creation is originated , and human is affected by the interaction of the heaven and the earth. Furthermore, in $\ulcorner$運氣七篇$\lrcorner$ (Seven chapters described about the five circuit phases and the six atmospheric influences), the expression that the earth is in the center of '太虛' and huge amount of 氣 supports it proves that $\ulcorner$運氣七篇$\lrcorner$ adapts '渾天設'(Chaotic universe thee). In Taoism, '虛' is the grounds where all creation is generated in the optimal condition of Tao. As regards the aspect of mentality, it is the condition in which one can free from the dualistic concepts such as right and wrong, beauty and ugliness, life and death, and so on. Although the ultimate goal of oriental medicine, the achievement of longevity without sickness, might contrast with the Taoist belief that perceives life and death as the natural phenomena or the flowing of the 氣, and eliminates all international, the idea of Taoism that one should live substantial life with naivety, and make Harmony with the nature might be influential to the oriental medicine.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.67
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• pp.301-337
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• 2021

The researcher looked at the differences in views and various controversies surrounding Korean youth sexuality education in the wake of the Nth Room incident, which had a great impact on modern Korean society. Sex education for adolescents in Korea can be divided into public sex education through school sex education and the Youth Sexuality Center, and conservative/traditional Protestant sex education. Public sex education is partly influenced by feminist sexual ethics and comprehensive sex education abroad. Based on gender sensitivity and the right to sexual self-determination, four major projects are prevention of sexual harassment, prostitution, sexual violence, and domestic violence. However, the school sex education standard was criticized for stereotypes of gender roles and gender-discriminatory content, reinforced distorted myths about sexual violence, and exclusion of sexual diversity and various family types. Conservative/traditional Protestantism is based on the normal family ideology such as bisexual marriage, premarital chastity, and sexual ethics recognized only within marital relationships. It is a form of confrontation with public sex education while strongly opposing it. The researcher first analyzed the characteristics of public sex education, conservative/traditional Protestant sexual ethics and sex education, feminist sex ethics and sex education, and overseas youth sex education, respectively, while composing the curriculum for Korean youth sexuality education. And as a more fundamental solution to youth sexuality education, I pointed out that there are limits to asceticism, premarital chastity, gender sensitivity and sexual self-determination education, and found an alternative to the concept of body and sex in feminist theology. The researcher pointed out that it is necessary to reconceptualize the body and sex under the recognition that the most fundamental cause of distorted sexual culture is dualistic sex and understanding the body, centering on the research of various feminist theologians. And this was conceptualized into three concepts: holistic sexuality, mutual solidarity understood in relationships with others, and sexuality as a spirituality that extends to the global community. And with each curriculum, 1) Holistic Sexuality: Breathing, Narrative, Making the Shape of One's Body and Mind 2) mutual solidarity : Feeling the Breath of Others, Media Literacy through Conscientization, Sending a Good Wind 3) Sexuality as a spirituality that extends to global concern: It was proposed to pay attention to nature and to co-cultivate it, to listen to the earth's moans and create a new way of life, and to write a prayer with the earth and fellow living beings.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.17
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• pp.3-37
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• 2008

In this article, I outlined the archival management system in Early Joseon Dynasty and examined the characteristics of the system. At first, I explained the three aspects of the archival management; the memory of the past, the documentation of the contemporary, and the vision of the future through the documentation. Secondly, I tried to understand the character of the Veritable Record and its compilation by the concepts of archival science such as 'authenticity', 'reliability'. In the memory of the past, the History of a Dynasty(Koryo-Sa) and the Comprehensive History of Eastern Kingdom were included. The arrangement of the past was accompanied with the systematic study of the domestic and foreign histories. At the beginning of the state building, there was many practical need to the experiences of government and social re-construction. It was also the process of the legitimacy establishment of the new dynasty. And the Bureaucracy promoted the development of the records and archival management system because it needed the continuity and evidence of business. The dualistic structure of the records and archival management system was the most unique character of this age. The management of general administrative records was not different from the modern one. But the historical drafts and the compilation of Veritable record were different. Here, I had to examine the characteristics of these procedures by the concept authenticity, reliability, and custodianship. In doing so, I suggested the need of conceptualization of the historical terms such as 'the primary sources' and 'the secondary sources' in historical study. The archival concepts will be the most useful means to that issue. Through the memory of the past and the documentation of the contemporary, they made visions of the future, new vision of the Literati Governance. In this tradition, in spite of the revision of the Veritable records by the new changed political party, both the orignal and the revised remained as the comparative evidence for the future generation in the name of the Black-Red Revised History.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.44
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• pp.141-175
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• 2023

This comparative study combines the methodologies of comparative research and literature review to examine Daesoon Thought. Comparative religious analysis in the social sciences, does not presuppose an a priori framework of the essence of religion because it targets various aspects of religion which are revealed within a historical field. However, it does not decompose and return to psychological or social phenomena like social sciences. In addition, with the emergence of religious pluralism, the climate of focusing on similarities between religions has already been accomplished to some degree. Furthermore, it is worth noting that many spiritual movements in modern spirituality reveal mixed or amorphous characteristics without being restricted by specific religious membership. It is time to overcome instrumentation and restore the transcendence of its original appearance even in secular humanist reasoning. It can be said that this reveals the perception that the ills and crises of modern civilization should be overcome in connection with the opening of the acquired world of Daesoon Thought. It could further be said that the main culprit of evil behavior is instrumental reason or degenerated reason rather than spirituality. Religion is the intellectual crystalline body of humankind and aims at human perfection and salvation. However, extremists in previous times amplified conflicts between religions and formed ideas suitable for their specific regions through different experiences. This generated mental rifts that proved greatly influential. At the time of initial inception, each religion confronted and fought other ideologies, but when the era of religious pluralism began, the necessity for inter-spiritual communication became urgent. It could be said that happiness is the realization of human spirituality by exploring the vision of humanism. In that case, the combined methodologies of comparative research and literature review reveal that the spirituality of Daesoon Thought would enable a humanism based on human dignity. This would be a path for seeking spirituality through human life and living as a true human being. Spiritual humanism as discussed through this study aims to share the problems of modern civilization and provide a critical view of modern civilization that shows the roots of prevailing thought are stuck in a Cartesian dualistic view of humanity and the world. The type of spiritual humanism to examined here focuses on a cosmotheandric vision by considering the spiritual return to Daoism via Daesoon Thought. This would treat human beings like heaven in alignment with Donghak ideology and honor the human dignity proposed by Daesoon Thought. It would also deliver sentient beings from suffering and to bliss in accordance with the aims of faith in Maitreya Buddha, and it would implement the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence in fulfillment of Daesoon Thought.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.33
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• pp.63-90
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• 2019

In pluralistic political realities that have been exposed as antagonistic relationships between self and others, the principle of 'Coincidentia Oppositorum' in Daesoon Thought emphasizes the complementarity between self and others and presents us with a new form of cognition and attitude which can overcome pluralistic political realities. Though solipsism that objectificates others on the basis of the self, the principle of 'Coincidentia Oppositorum' presents us a new form of cognition and attitude with which we can approach others. The principle of 'Coincidentia Oppositorum' is based on the logic that we can secure and extend ourselves only in relation between self and others. Self is not fully formed or perfected without others. Previous discussions on the principle of 'Coincidentia Oppositorum' as it is exists within Daesoon Thought have been limited to Eastern Philosophy. On one hand, this inclination may be due to a narrow understanding of Western Philosophy. The flow of Modern Western Philosophy can at times be a self-reflective output for solipsism. On the other hand, the understanding of the principle of 'Coincidentia Oppositorum in context of a dualistic contrast between Eastern Philosophy and Western Philosophy is not concordant with the principle of 'Coincidentia Oppositorum' which emphasizes the creation of harmony between self and others. This paper aims to investigate avenues to create harmony between Eastern Philosophy and Western Philosophy regarding the principle of 'Coincidentia Oppositorum' in Daesoon Thought. Specifically, attention will be paid to 'flesh' as used by Merleau-Ponty. In his writings, flesh is the matrix which activates the fundamental involvement between self and others. Self is a being of flesh and an ambiguous being which is formed in a double position (seeing and being seen). Flesh can secure and extend the self only through its relationship to an other or multiple others. Restoring the other that has been excluded from modern Western Philosophy, Merleau-Ponty's flesh call for contemplation into the meaning of the other and of otherness.

• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.217-247
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• 2019

This research paper intends to examine the intertextuality of Klaus Mann's novel Mephisto (1936) and István Szabó's film Mephisto (1981) and how the derivative contents (i.e., film) accepted and improved the schematic aesthetics of conviction in original contents (i.e., novel). In general, the aesthetics of conviction is applied to criticize the state socialism of the artists of the Third Reich or the ideology of the artists of East Germany from a biased ethical perspective. Mephisto is also based on the aesthetics of conviction. Thus, it would be meaningful to examine the characteristic similarity and difference between Klaus Mann's real antagonist (i.e., Gustaf Gründgens) and fictional antagonist (i.e., Hendrik Höfgen) from a historical critical perspective. In this process, an aesthetic distance between the real and fictional antagonists would be secured through the internal criticism in terms of intertextuality. In this respect, the film aesthetics of István Szabó are deemed to overcome the schematic limit of the original novel. The conviction in both the novel and film of Mephisto pertains to the belief and stance of a person who compromised with the state socialism of Nazi Germany, i.e., succumbed to the irresistible history. Klaus Mann denounced Mephisto's character Höfgen (i.e., Gründgens in reality) as an "Mephisto with evil spirits" from the perspective of exile literature. For such denunciation, Klaus Mann used various means such as satire, caricature, sarcasm, parody and irony. However, his novel is devoid of introspection and "utopianism", and thus could be considered to allow personal rights to be disregarded by the freedom of art. On the contrary, István Szabó employed the two different types of evil (evil of Mephisto and evil of Faust) from a dualistic perspective (instead of a dichotomous perspective of good and evil) by expressing the character of Höfgen like both Mephisto and Hamlet (i.e., "Faust with both good and evil spirits). However, Szabó did not present the mixed character of "Mephisto and Hamlet (Faust)" only as an object of pity. Rather, Szabó called for social responsibility by showing a much more tragic end. As such, the novel Mephisto is more like the biography of an individual, and the film Mephisto is more like the biography of a generation. The aesthetics of conviction of Mephisto appears to overcome biased historical and textual perspectives through the irony of intertextuality between the novel and the film. Even if history is an irresistible "fate" to an individual, human dignity cannot be denied because it is the "value of life". The issue of conviction is not only limited to the times of Nazi Germany. It can also be raised with the ideology of the modern and contemporary history of Korea. History is so deeply rooted that it should not be criticized merely from a dichotomous perspective. When it comes to the relationship between history and individual life, a neutral point of view is required. Hopefully, this research paper will provide readers with a significant opportunity for finding out their "inner Mephisto" and "inner Hamlet."