• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.40
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• pp.115-153
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• 2022

Korea has rapidly become an aging society, and this phenomenon is found not only in common population but also in many religious circles. In this context, interest in the welfare of retired clergy members is increasing, and some religious organizations are trying to devise and perform rules and/or policies that ensure a secure post-retirement life for their clergy. However, the welfare benefits differ from one religion to another according to the characteristics of the given religion's organizational structure. For instance, denominations with a centralized hierarchy such as Catholicism or Won Buddhism implement a relatively stable welfare system for their elderly clergy members whereas autonomous denominations like many Buddhist or Christian orders are often found to have somewhat insecure welfare systems. Clergy welfare in Daesoon Jinrihoe, one of the representative new religions in Korea, is emerging as an important issue as Daesoon Jinrihoe is also affected by the problems of Korea's aging society. However, since the order has a mixed system of a centralized hierarchy and autonomous local branches, the welfare for their elderly clergy lacks clear lines of accountability. Consequently, there have been talks to devise a proper welfare system; however, these talks have come to a standstill. In this regard, this study aims to look into and analyze how various structures and welfare systems within Korean religious organizations impact elderly clergy. Lastly, this research will provide suggestions on practical alternatives for Daesoon Jinrihoe which could resolve the problems within their welfare system that negatively impact elderly clergy members at present.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-31
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• 2008

Various opinions have been suggested to explain the slump in equipment investment, such as increased government regulations, shareholder-oriented management by expanded foreign equity investment, response against M&A threats, conservative investment trends seen after a series of bankruptcy of large conglomerates (amidst crumbling myth of "Too Big to Fail"), and financial restructuring. Some also argued that the increased uncertainty in business environment is mainly responsible for conservative management, though there are few domestic studies made regarding the situation. But, in other countries, including the U.S., studies have shown that more volatility is seen now surrounding stock prices, profitability, and sales growth rate reflecting business performance. Also, there are other studies showing such expanded volatility have led to conservative management by businesses. In this regard, this study reviews the volatility conditions of business performance of Korean companies based on profitability, and then attempts to analyze the impact on investment brought on by increased volatility. Each company's profitability volatility used here is from the standard deviation of companies for the past five years. As a profitability indicator, the ROA (= operating profit/total asset) is used. According to the analysis, profitability volatility has remarkably increased from the mid 3% in 1994 to low 5% in 2005. Profitability volatility of the Korean companies has expanded to a great extent since the financial crisis. The crisis might have served to raise the volatility in the macroeconomic conditions. If increased volatility observed during the economic crisis had gradually declined after the crisis, the situation could be interpreted as a temporary phenomenon, not to be too concerned over. But, this was not the case for Korea. The volatility level, after the crisis, has not dropped back to its pre-crisis level. Hence, in the Korea's case, high volatility cannot be explained by the impact of financial crisis. Not only that, the fact that such expansion is seen in every industrial sector indicates that this phenomenon cannot be explained by the composition change of industries alone. An undergoing study shows that with a rapid spread of globalization, industries fiercely competing with China experience more volatility. Such increased volatility tends to contract investment, and since the crisis the impact of volatility on investment has slightly increased. It is noteworthy that this study only includes a part of 'uncertainty' that could be measured statistically. For instance, the profitability volatility indicator used in this study is unable to reflect all the effects that the tacit reduction of protection by the government or regulations might have made. So, the result here also indicates that other 'uncertain' factors not mentioned in this study may have served to contract investment sentiment. It would be impossible for policies to completely remove uncertainties measured by profitability volatility, but at least it is necessary to put effort to reduce the macroeconomic volatility in the future economic management. Stabilized macroeconomic management may not be enough to diminish all volatility that occurs within each company, but it would make a meaningful contribution in encouraging investment.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.265-299
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• 2018

Patent litigation has been considered as a tool to protect and facilitate innovation. Ironically, yet, the misguided uses of patent litigation as a strategic tool for vigilance against competitors are acting as a hindrance for innovation. Previous studies show that the better the quality of a patent, the higher the chance of the patent being litigated. Therefore, it is particularly important for the innovating firms to take strategic precautions to minimize the risk of patent litigation. This study investigates the moderating role of firms' past alliance experiences on the relationship between patent quality and patent litigation from the perspective of a defendant. A unique dataset on patents, infringement lawsuits, and firm performances in the printed electronics industry confirms that firms' previous alliance experiences mitigate the impact of patent quality on infringement litigation. For instance, the results confirm that the presence of past alliance experience reduces the litigation rate by 33% for firms with median-quality patents. This paper makes two major contributions. First, it contributes to the literature on alliance experience by confirming its role as a reputation in mitigating future litigations. Second, this paper contributes to the literature on patent litigation by identifying a unique moderator, i.e., alliance experience, on the linkage between patent quality and litigation. An innovating firm is likely to become an alleged infringer under a false accusation. Therefore, this paper focuses on firms that partake in infringement lawsuits unwillingly. Despite the importance, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate patent litigations from the perspective of defendants.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.2169-2175
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• 2009

This research aims to evaluate the concept of eco-efficient water infrastructure and provides a list of case studies in order to help understand the applicability of eco-efficient water infrastructure to Asia and the Pacific. A set of indicators have been explored to assess eco-efficiency in water infrastructure for the region on a micro and macro scale. The core idea of eco-efficiency, 'more value with less impact (on the environment)', has proven to be applicable in management of water infrastructure. The fundamental elements in eco-efficient water infrastructure should encompass physical infrastructure and non-physical infrastructure, which is more needed particularly in Asian countries. The case studies have demonstrated the applicability of the concept of eco-efficient water infrastructure. The Republic of Korea has provided the case of the eco-friendly approaches to enhance dam management and its innovative solutions how to use water more efficiently through state-of-art technologies. The experiences of Singapore are some of the best evidence to establish eco-efficient water infrastructure, for instance, the NEWater project via application of cutting edge technologies (recycled water) and institutional reform in water tariff systems to conserve water as well as enhance water quality. A list of indicators to assess eco-efficiency in water infrastructure have been discussed, and the research presents a myriad of project cases which are good to represent eco-efficiency in water infrastructure, including multipurpose small dams, customized flood defense systems, eco-efficient ground water use, and eco-efficient desalination plants. The study has presented numerous indicators in five different categories: 1) the status of water availability and infrastructure; 2) production and consumption patterns of freshwater; 3) agricultural products and sources of environmental loads; 4) damages from water-caused natural disaster; and 5) urban water supply and sanitation. There are challenges as well as benefits in such indicators, since the indicators should be applied very carefully in accordance with specific socio-economic, political and policy contexts in different countries in Asia and the Pacific Region. The key to success of establishment of eco-efficient water infrastructure in Asia primarily depends on the extent to which each country is committed to balancing its development of physical as well as non-physical water infrastructure. Particularly, it is imperative for Asian countries to transform its policy focus from physical infrastructure to non-physical infrastructure. Such shift will help lead to implementation of sustainable in Asian countries.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.9 no.10
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• pp.407-416
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• 2009

This study examines the competitiveness of Korean golf industry and forecasts the demand for golf tourism to diminish the deficit of tourism revenue through revitalizing domestic market for golf. A comparative investigation of the golf expenses shows that the price competitiveness of golf fee and equipments is significantly lower than the competing destinations. For instance, a price of golf tourism package in South east Asian countries, that includes accommodation for three nights and a round-trip airfare, is even lower than the price of three sets of rounding during the weekend in Korea. Plus, the economic impacts analysis shows that if the current regulations regarding domestic golf industry are to be maintained, the competitiveness of Korean golf industry is likely to get worse due to an excessive tax burden, which may result in the increased deficit of tourism revenue. It is expected that the enhanced competitiveness of Korean golf industry will help overcome the current economic crisis of Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.370-378
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• 2015

Oral health is a critical factor for diagnosing overall health, as poor oral health has a negative impact on food intake and results in deterioration of nutritional status. The purpose of this study was to research the needs for food developments for the elderly based on their oral and overall health status. Oral status was significantly associated with self-reported health status, and dry mouth (lack of saliva) especially showed a significant relationship with negative self-perception of both oral and overall health. For both elderly men and women, fish and leafy vegetables were the most preferred side dishes. Bread, rice cake, and beverage-type foods were also preferred for snack development. Disease status of the elderly was significantly related with their preference for food development. For instance, those with diabetes were more likely to ask for anti-diabetic diets. The most important factor for the elderly in choosing food was nutritional balance, and less than 3,000 won was cited as an affordable price. The results could be utilized as basic data to develop foods for the elderly.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.405-421
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• 2019

International aid to North Korea remains far below the humanitarian needs of vulnerable people. This paper examines the trajectory of international humanitarian assistance to North Korea over the last two decades with the focus on its decline in the context of the country's nuclear standoff and corresponding stringent sanctions. In so doing, the paper addresses major problems associated with North Korea's reception of foreign aid and operational constraints placed on humanitarian activities in the country. It shows that humanitarian assistance to North Korea has been largely shaped by geopolitical dynamics. A survey of UN reports and statistics also suggests a shifting trend in recent international aid to North Korea. The decline of aid and multiple operational obstacles faced by humanitarian organizations, for instance, have led to a fall in agricultural support and a proportional rise in health and related services. While UN Security Council resolutions include an exemption provision, humanitarian assistance to North Korea has been constrained by stringent sanctions, which have led to adverse consequences for the civilian population. In this regard, the paper suggests some policy directions for international aid to North Korea amidst negotiations over denuclearization, while stressing an urgent need to address the negative impact of sanctions on vulnerable groups in the country.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.487-517
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• 2017

In the context of an increased demand in universities' expansion of networks between other innovation actors, this research attempts to make a comparison on university-centered SCIE knowledge networks between regions. Using regional comparison, we have looked into these networks in regards to their characteristics, the importance of regional boundaries, and the effect of the regional industrial policy. As a result of this comparative analysis, we discovered that the point universities and research universities hold high centrality in regional knowledge networks, and that the characteristics of regions are reflected into this network. For instance, the Gyeonggi province had a preeminent level of industry-academy relationship, while for Daejeon it was public research institutions and academy, and Gangwon province it was between academy between academy. As a network analysis based on journals above SCIE levels, regional boundaries were not very clear in the network structures. However, within these boundaries, the impact of regional industrial policies were proven to be stronger in the Gang-won province where the academy-academy network was most prominent. The implication of this research outcome is that for regional innovation, government should more actively implement policies that can link academic institutes' knowledge to industry by expanding knowledge networks. In addition, we emphasize on the necessity of a regionally-appropriate policy, rather than a generalized industrial policy. And fundamentally, in regards to innovation, establishing a sound industrial infrastructure for regional development and efforts to link relevant actors are required.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.655-661
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• 2009

This study investigated the effects of different types of shouting actions on the strength of the human body. Both H-reflex and MVIC measures of the rectus femoris muscle were used to investigate effects on impact force and motor performance, in order to find optimum shouting methods. The H-reflex of the soleus muscle gave an electric stimulus to the curve of the knee that contains the tibial nerves. Surface electromyelography was used to collect muscle activity the amplitude increased 28% at action with shouting and 29% at the one immediately after short-time shouting than the one without shouting was. To assess the myoelectric activity of the rectus femoris, a surface electrode was attached to the right side of the lower extremity and to increase 10% and 1% depending upon shouting type. The findings were as follows. Shouting affected not only motor efficiency (H-reflex), but also the amplitude of MVIC, with a positive effect on increased muscle strength. Further comprehensive studies are needed to investigate the many variables of increased muscle strength for general purposes, for instance, shouting and breathing, brain waves, and so on.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.33-50
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• 2002

This study examines cross-national patterns of asymmetry of marriage tables with respect to educational level and tries to measure the degree of gender inequality across nations. A Primary assumption of the study is that gender inequality inhibits symmetric marriage between men and women. As men and women differ more in status, the rate of symmetric marriage between them declines thus producing asymmetric marriage with respect to social status. More specifically, the main object of the study is to develop statistical models and index with which to assess the patterns and degree of asymmetric marriage. Additionally, it is intended to assess the appropriateness of several theoretical perspectives for explaining these variations identified by the statistical models. Two most important such perspectives are industrialism and theory of politics and culture. To answer these questions, this study relies on twenty-seven marriage tables with respect to educational level, some from published tables, and some extracted from other sources. The main findings of the study are: (1) compared to less industrialized countries, more industrialized countries have lower degrees of asymmetric marriage(gender inequality) with respect to educational level, and (2) other things being equal, differences in politics and culture seem to have the some impact on marriage pattern; for instance, social democracy and state socialism reduce the degree of asymmetric marriage while the high emphasis on gender-based hierarchy in Asian countries seems to increase it In short, these results suggest a weaker or modified version of industrialists That is, while with economic growth most nations show a decline in the degrees of asymmetric marriage with respect to social status, for some nations the degrees of asymmetric marriage are affected by their specific politics or cultures.