• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.139-159
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• 2014

This study problematizes the dominance of developmental state theory and its negative influences in the field of Korean studies, in particular, dealing with the industrialization during the developmental era, 1960s~70s. As is generally known, the theory has been in a position of unchallenged authority on the industrialization experience of East Asian countries, including South Korea. However, at the same time, it has also misled us into overlooking strategic relations that had articulated the state forms at multiple scales. This study aims to reconstruct the historical contexts by the theorizing prompted by recent work on state space. I shed light on the multiscalar strategic relations that had shaped the Ulsan refinery plant as a representative state space of the South Korean industrialization during two decades after liberation. Specifically, the study illustrates the features and roles of Cold War networks and multiscalar agnets such as Nam Goong-Yeon. By identifying the plant as a result of sequential articulations between Ulsan and other scales, this study concludes by suggesting to reframing the strategic relational spaces, beyond the view of methodological nationalism, in the perspective of multiscalar approach.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.691-709
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• 2007

This paper investigates the social and political construction of geographical scale in conjunction with Korean housing politics. Recently, attention has been drawn to the issue of the social and political construction of geographical scale. Spatial scales have increasingly been regarded as socially constructed and politically contested rather than ontologically pregiven or fixed. The scale literature has paid attention to how different spatial scales can be used or articulated in social movements, with an emphasis on 'up-scaling' and 'scales of activism' rather than 'down-scaling' and 'scales of regulation.' Furthermore, the scale literature has focused on the aspect of empowerment. However, it is worthwhile to examine how scale-especially 'down-scaling' and 'scales of regulation'-can be used not only for marginalizing or excluding unprivileged social groups, but also for controlling the (re)production of space, including housing space. Under a regulatory regime, the Korean central government gained more control over the (re)production of housing space at geographical multi-scales by means of 'jumping scales,' specifically 'down-scaling.' The Korean central government has increasingly obtained the capacity to 'jump scales' by using not only multiscalar strategies for housing developments, but also taking advantage of various scales of institutional networking among the central and local governments, quasi-governmental institutions, and Chaebols, across the state. Traditionally, scale has been regarded as an analytical spatial unit or category. However, scale can be seen as means of inclusion(and exclusion) and legitimation. Choosing institutions to include or exclude cannot be separated from the choices and range of spatial scale, and is closely connected to 'scale spatiality of politics.' Facilitating different forms of 'scales of regulation,' the Korean central government included Chaebols and upper- and middle-income groups for the legitimization of housing projects, but excluded local-scale grassroots organizations and unprivileged social groups as decision-makers.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.808-834
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• 2007

This study attempts to elucidate manifold dimensions of gendered accessibility experiences. How gender roles(household responsibilities) differentiate accessibility experiences between women and men is explored through the comparison of married dual-earner couples' parental status, using the US Portland activity-travel diary dataset with GIS-based geocomputation results of(time-geography based) space-time accessibility. First, this study shows how gender division of labor within the household still permeates current society, despite the widespread belief of the social change toward a gender-egalitarian society. Then, the study pays special attention to the way gender roles structure individual accessibility experiences of women and men differently, and, in turn, the way such accessibility experiences take a form of gendered spatiality. Gendered spatiality is examined through the analysis of accessibility space as well as activity space in order to ascertain women's home-attached and spatially entrapped characteristics. More household responsibilities throughout a day and, even more, the time constraint of picking up children at the daycare centers after work lead women's possible activity space to be more home-centered. The analysis of the spatio-temporal context of accessibility space makes gendered spatiality visible. However, the findings suggest that behavioral outcomes should be understood with an explicit awareness of constraints individuals face. It is because the revealed activity spaces can be not only an outcome of constraint but also an outcome of choice. Behavioral outcomes should not be treated as a straightforward expression of the level of constraints. It is problematic to expect that behavioral outcomes directly mirror the level of constraints. It is also problematic to suppose that the level of constraints can be straightforwardly elicited from revealed behavioral outcomes.