• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.613-632
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• 2016

The recent diagnosis of the Anthropocene challenges public understanding of nature as a pure and singular entity removed from society, as the diagnosis confirms the earth-changing force of humans. In geography, the nature-society divide has been critically interrogated long before the diagnosis of the Anthropocene, developing several ways of theorizing nature-society relations. This paper introduces a new frontier for such theoretical endeavors: more-than-human geography. Inspired by the material and performative turn in geography and the social sciences around the 2000s, more-than-human geographers have sought to re-engage with the livingness of the world in the study of nature-society relations. Drawing on actor-network theory, non-representational theory (NRT) and vitalism, they have developed innovative ways of thinking about and relating to nature through the key concepts of 'nonhuman agency' and 'affect'. While more-than-human geography has been extensively debated and developed in recent Euro-American scholarship on cultural and economic geography, it has so far received limited attention in Korean geographical studies on nature. This paper aims to address this gap by discussing the key concepts and seminal work of more-than-human geography. I first outline four theoretical strands through which nature-society relations are perceived in geography. I then offer an overview of more-than-human geography, discussing its theoretical foundations and considering ontologies, epistemologies, politics and ethics associated with nature-society relations. Then, I compare more-than-human geography with political ecology, which is the mainstream critical approach in contemporary environmental social sciences. I would argue that more-than-human geography further challenges and develops political ecology through its heightened attention to the affective capacity of nonhumans and the methodological ethos of doing a careful political ecology. I conclude by reflecting on the implications of more-than-human geography for Korean studies on nature-society relations.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.824-832
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• 2004

By reviewing the research papers and books about Korean geography published in China during the recent 20 years, the trend of research on the Korean geography in the filed of general and professional viewpoint was summarized in this paper. For general review, 4 major trends were observed. First, lots of research institutes have been newly established. Second, the amount of journals and books related to the Korean geography are keeping increasing. Third, a series of new academic results arc being achieved. Forth, academic exchange activities are being carried out actively in broader rangers. For professional geography study, researchers are more focused on the study of human geography rather than physical geography. And in the field of physical geography, studies about geology, earthquake and natural resource appeared livelier than others, while in human geography, studies about economic geography attract more interests. It was also observed that problems such as the research fields are limited and Jack of fundamental theory study exist. To solve these problems, the learned circles of Chinese geography should do more efforts, while an effort of introduction of achievements of Korean geography study to china by learned circles of Koran geography are also necessary.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.288-302
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• 2013

This paper aims to compare and analyze the undergraduate geography curriculums of Korean and American universities. is rarely offered as an undergraduate geography subject in both Korean and American universities. This may be due to the fact that the four fields of geography(human geography field, physical geography field, regional geography field, and other geography field) are not easily able to be integrated and taught as an independent geography subject. The ratio of the subject number of human geography field(39.4%) is greater than that of physical geography field(24.5%) at the geography departments of Korean universities, but the ratio of the subject number of physical geography field(32.8%) is a little more greater than that of human geography field(29.4%) at the geography departments of American universities. The ratio of the subject number of regional geography fields at the geography department of American universities(18.1%) is greater than that of Korean universities(13.8%), so more stress seems to be laid on the field of regional geography in American universities than in Korean universities. Although the geography curriculums of Korean universities seems to follow generally those of American universities, this paper reveals that there is also differences between the geography curriculums of Korean and American universities in terms of their emphasis on four fields of geography. The differences could be explained by the historical context of the geography departments of Korean universities during the last half a century.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.38
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• pp.15-36
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• 1988

In this paper, I consider the development of methods in contemporary human geography in terms of a dialectical relation of action and structure, and try to draw a new horizon of method toward which geographical research and spatial theory would develop. The positivist geography which was dominent during 1960s has been faced both with serious internal reflections and strong external criticisms in the 1970s. The internal reflections that pointed out its ignorance of spatial behavior of decision-makers and its simplication of complex spatial relations have developed behavioural geography and systems-theoretical approach. Yet this kinds of alternatives have still standed on the positivist, geography, even though they have seemed to be more real and complicate than the previous one, The external criticisms that have argued against the positivist method as phenomenalism and instrumentalism suggest some alternatives: humanistic geography which emphasizes intention and action of human subject and meaning-understanding, and structuralist geography which stresses on social structure as a totality which would produce spatial phenomena, and a theoretical formulation. Human geography today can be characterized by a strain and conflict between these methods, and hence rezuires a synthetic integration between them. Philosophy and social theory in general are in the same in which theories of action and structural analysis have been complementary or conflict with each other. Human geography has fallen into a further problematic with the introduction of a method based on so-called political ecnomy. This method has been suggested not merely as analternative to the positivist geography, but also as a theoretical foundation for critical analysis of space. The political economy of space with has analyzed the capitalist space and tried to theorize its transformation may be seen either as following humanistic(or Hegelian) Marxism, such as represented in Lefebvre's work, or as following structuralist Marxism, such as developed in Castelles's or Harvey's work. The spatial theory following humanistic Marxism has argued for a dialectic relation between 'the spatial' and 'the social', and given more attention to practicing human agents than to explaining social structures. on the contray, that based on structuralist Marxism has argued for social structures producing spatial phenomena, and focused on theorising the totality of structures, Even though these two perspectives tend more recently to be convergent in a way that structuralist-Marxist. geographers relate the domain of economic and political structures with that of action in their studies of urban culture and experience under capitalism, the political ecnomy of space needs an integrated method with which one can overcome difficulties of orthhodox Marxism. Some novel works in philosophy and social theory have been developed since the end of 1970s which have oriented towards an integrated method relating a series of concepts of action and structure, and reconstructing historical materialism. They include Giddens's theory of structuration, foucault's geneological analysis of power-knowledge, and Habermas's theory of communicative action. Ther are, of course, some fundamental differences between these works. Giddens develops a theory which relates explicitly the domain of action and that of structure in terms of what he calls the 'duality of structure', and wants to bring time-space relations into the core of social theory. Foucault writes a history in which strategically intentional but nonsubjective power relations have emerged and operated by virtue of multiple forms of constrainst wihthin specific spaces, while refusing to elaborate any theory which would underlie a political rationalization. Habermas analyzes how the Western rationalization of ecnomic and political systems has colonized the lifeworld in which we communicate each other, and wants to formulate a new normative foundation for critical theory of society which highlights communicatie reason (without any consideration of spatial concepts). On the basis of the above consideration, this paper draws a new norizon of method in human geography and spatial theory, some essential ideas of which can be summarized as follows: (1) the concept of space especially in terms of its relation to sociery. Space is not an ontological entity whch is independent of society and has its own laws of constitution and transformation, but it can be produced and reproduced only by virtue of its relation to society. Yet space is not merlely a material product of society, but also a place and medium in and through which socety can be maintained or transformed.(2) the constitution of space in terms of the relation between action and structure. Spatial actors who are always knowledgeable under conditions of socio-spatial structure produce and reproduce their context of action, that is, structure; and spatial structures as results of human action enable as well as constrain it. Spatial actions can be distinguished between instrumental-strategicaction oriented to success and communicative action oriented to understanding, which (re)produce respectively two different spheres of spatial structure in different ways: the material structure of economic and political systems-space in an unknowledged and unitended way, and the symbolic structure of social and cultural life-space in an acknowledged and intended way. (3) the capitalist space in terms of its rationalization. The ideal development of space would balance the rationalizations of system space and life-space in a way that system space providers material conditions for the maintainance of the life-space, and the life-space for its further development. But the development of capitalist space in reality is paradoxical and hence crisis-ridden. The economic and poltical system-space, propelled with the steering media like money, and power, has outstriped the significance of communicative action, and colonized the life-space. That is, we no longer live in a space mediated communicative action, but one created for and by money and power. But no matter how seriously our everyday life-space has been monetalrized and bureaucratised, here lies nevertheless the practical potential which would rehabilitate the meaning of space, the meaning of our life on the Earth.

• Proceedings of the KGS Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.83-86
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• 2003

Hot environment can cause unseen economic loss by slowdown of human activities owing to the accumulation of heat stress. The attack of a strong heat wave to the highly populated urban areas was even evaluated to result in the more fatal damages than any other natural disaster such as flooding or blizzards (Changnon et al, 1996). (omitted)

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.116-126
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• 2003

In this study, we research about the relationships of human longevity and environments, inducted the significant factors of longevity from the statistical analysis, and represented spatial distribution of longevity using geographic information system. The factors confining human longevity can be categorized by geography/geology, climate/weather, economy, and social welfare. After analyzing statistical data, dependent variable which means the longevity index is defined by the ratio of population more than 85 years old among population more than 65 years old. The results of analysis show that longevity are related with waterworks ratio, temperature, local tax ratio, and latitude. In this study we discussed about the spatial characteristics which are represented by variance of the longevity index and described a spatial relationship between the longevity index and significant factors which are chosen by statistical analysis. In the further study, in order to sustain the longevity of a region, it is necessary for the effective rural planning to propagate a longevity of rural areas.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.62-88
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• 2017

Global polarization at different scales has been more intensified than ever before. So, more complicated geographies are associated with global poverty and inequality, and their subsequent problems such as famine, disease, environmental degradation, and asylum seekers. These problems are apparently confined to specific countries and regions. However, they are a consequence of historical-geographic (post)colonial interconnectedness. In this sense, since the early 1960s, international development cooperation has significantly contributed to resolve or alleviate them. Especially, in 2015, the Millenium Development Goals(MDGs) project is finished and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) are newly set up as a global project to end human poverty. It is assumed that donor's IDC to accomplish SDGs will be more complicatedly implemented because SDGs contain more expanded and diversified forms of project targets than before. They are both possibilities and limits in the sense of development geography.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.138-159
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• 1996

There has been a tendency for Geomorphology and Climatology to be dominant in Physical Geography for 50 years in Korea. Physical Geography is concerned with the study of the totality of natural environment through the integrated approaches. But, an overall direction or a certain paradigm could not be found, because major sub-divisions of Physical Geography have been studied individually and the subjects and the approaches in studying Physical Geography are enormously diverse. A consensus of opinion could not also exist in deciding what kind of the sub-divisions should be included in the physical geography in general and how those should be summarized. Furthermore it would be considered imprudent to survey the studies of Physical Geography besides those of Geomorphology and Climatology due to the small number of researchers. Assuming that the rest of Physical Geographical studies with the exception of Geomorphological and Climatological studies are the Physical Geography in general, the studies of Physical Geogrpahy in general are summarized and several aspects are drown out as follows. First the descliption of all possible factors of natural environments was the pattern of early studies of Physical Geography and the tendency is maintained in the various kinds of research and project reports. Recently Physical Geographers have published several introductory textbooks or research monographs. In those books, however, the integrated approaches to Physical Geography were not suggested and the relationship between man and nature are dealt with in the elementary level. Second, the authentic soil studies of Physical Geographers are insignificant, because the studies of soil in Physical Geography have been mostly considered as the subsidiary means of Geomorphology Summarizing the studies of Soil Gegraphy by physical geographers and other Pedologists, the subjects are classified as soil-forming processes, soil erosions, soil in the tidal flat and reclaimed land, and soil pollution. Physical Geographers have focused upon the soil-forming processes in order to elucidate the geomorphic processes and the past climatic environment. The results of other subjects are trifling. Thirdy Byogeygrayhers and the results of studies are extremely of small number and the studies of Biogeography in Korea lines in the starting point. But, Biogeography could be a more unifying theme for the Physical-human Geography interface, and it would be expected to play an active part in the field of environmental conservation and resource management. Forth, the studies of Hydrogeography (Geographical Hydrology) in Korea have run through the studies of water balance and the morphometric studies such as the drainage network analysis and the relations of various kinds of morphometric elements in river. Recently, the hydrological model have introduced and developed to predict the flow of sediment, discharge, and ground water. The growth of groundwater studies is worthy of close attention. Finally, the studies on environmental problems was no mole than the general description about environmental destruction, resource development, environmental conservation, etc. until 1970s. The ecological perspectives on the relationship between man and nature were suggested in some studies of natural hazard. The new environmentalism having been introduced since 1980s. Human geographers have lead the studies of Environmental Perception. Environmental Ethics, Environmental Sociology, environmental policy. The Physical geographers have stay out of phase with the climate of the time and concentrate upon the publication of introductory textbooks. Recently, several studies on the human interference and modification of natural environments have been made an attempt in the fields of Geomorphology and climatology. Summarizing the studies of Physical Geography for 50 years in Korea, the integrated approaches inherent in Physical Geography disappeared little by little and the majol sub-divisions of Physical Ceography have develop in connection with the nearby earth sciences such as Geology, Meteorology, Pedology, Biology, Hydrology, etc been rediscovered by non-geographers under the guise of environmental science. It is expected that Physical Geography would revive as the dominant subject to cope with environmental problems, rearming with the innate integrated approaches.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.38-48
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• 1996

Value objectives have been relatively neglected in geography education. Then in this study I reviewed some value objectives and their contents which have been discussed in geographic education and curriculum in secondary education. Value objectives which are reviewed in geographic education, are regional consciousness, loving home country and nation, international understanding and citizenship, art of landscape, natural and environmental beauty, and human right. But values objectives in geography curriculum are included value incalculation: national development, participation in economic development, etc.. Namely development education is more emphasized than individual life and experience in geographic education. Value objectives should be on the basis of social education and citizenship education for geographic education. Futhermore, it is required to develop teaching methods which help student's socialization and social competence through geography education focused on value objectives and their content.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.213-254
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• 1996

The Korean Geographical Society was founded in 1945, when Korea was liberated from the Japanese rule. And The Journal of the Korean Geography activated academic studies of geography by publishing research papers in it. Professor Kang, Dae-Hyun wrote the first two specialized papers of rural geography in 1966: " Flood Plain Settlements on the Han River" and "The Location and Form of the Dispersed Villages around Dae-Cwan-Ryung". The early studies of rural geography were not based on serious academic foundations, such as the adjustment of theoretical notions and a good grasp of subjects. After choosing subjects that came to hand without academic consideration. they simply enumerated generalized items of the results of the field work investigation such as the location the landscape and the process of formation of the settlements. In the 1970s and 1980s, however, rural settlement studies progressed remarkably in Korea. More than 80% of 318 dissertations, theses, or papers collected for this review were written in the late 1980s, and the subjects and methodology became diversified. As may be expected, recent studies are found very systematic and problem-solving in the various fields - contexual understanding spatial structure, the development of clan villages according to the socialization process, the effects of rural-out migration on the change of villages etc. Such a trend can be understood as a reaction to the circumstances under which, as the Western society already experienced, rural villages become washed out by the waves of industralization and urbanization and hardly continue to exist. In this paper, geographical studies of rural settlement which have been carried out in Korea last fifty years will be reviewed under the four headings on the studies related to a) farming villages; b) fishing villages; c) mountain villages: and d) special function villages. Studies of farming villages and related ones are very diverse. The results of the studies carried out last fifty years can be classified into sixteen subjects. Just as, in the West, studies of rural settlement have been mainly concerned with farming villages since rural geography came into being, so, in Korea, they have been centred on farming villages. It is a natural result considering the history of human life. Even in Korea, however the rural settlement is no more an isolated life space which keeps unique traditions of old life style, but it begins to form a dynamic life space connected to big cities by heavy traffic. Because the modern farming villages of Korea have an undetachable connection with the cities, special methodology to solve new problems has been posed in the studies of rural settlement. Many scholars have produced a lot of studies of farming villages, and three of them are prominent: Oh. Hong-Seok, Choi, Ki-Yeop, and Lee, Moon-Jong. Oh, Hong-Seok is a versatile and hard-working scholar who has published more papers than anyone else in the various fields of rural geography such as farming villages, fishing villages, mountain villages, and reclamation villages. And he has expanded his concerns to environment issues in recent years. Choi, Ki-Yeop has maintained that the prototype of Korean rural villages is clan villages continuing to write a series of good papers in which he pursues their regionalizion in the process of socialization. Lee, Moon-Jong divides the spatial organization of side settlement, sahachon (settlement near the temple), religion settlement, orchard settlement, settlement near the foreign military camp, displaced people's settlement. Chung Gam Lok settlement, etc. Though The Korean Geographical Society has half a century's history, academic activties in the field of rural settlement have been performed no more than thirty years. We cannot help saying that it is admirable that in such a rather short time we have five academical schools of the rural geography in Korea. geography in Korea.