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Most Asian countries are regarded as Confucian countries although each has its own historical and cultural background. Little is known about how people in different Asian countries perceive their family boundaries. This study is an attempt to compare the perception of the family in China, Japan, and Korea. We examined the family perception and found substantial differences among the three. Chinese people showed the widest and paternally extended perception of family. Data from people in Korea nearly matched data from China, but family perception developed bilaterally. People in Japan, however, perceived only blood‐tied, intimate relations as family members. In addition, the perception of the family was not substantially different between the genders in Japan and China, but in South Korea, men perceived family boundaries more widely than women, implying that women have a greater family burden than men in Korea. Considering the heterogeneity in family perceptions in these countries, this paper tries to explain how social institutions interact with individuals and impact the perception of family. Finally, this paper concludes that it is inappropriate to tie the three East Asian countries as 'Confucian civilizations' in terms of family perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Sociology is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Republic of Korea (ROK) is one of the non-major powers most closely interested in the nature of the hierarchical security order in East Asia and its transition, but little academic attention has been drawn to examining its diplomatic positions or policy directions as it responds to and shapes the regional security order. Drawing on realist insights into order transition and their implications for security relations between major and non-major powers, this paper examines the nature of the security order in East Asia and critically discusses how the ROK's approach to order management has been of only limited success in addressing the structural risks growing out of the changing natures of the regional order. It also discusses the collective order management of its Southeast Asian neighbors as a comparable case that tackles similar risks differently. The paper concludes with a discussion of how a stronger partnership with Southeast Asia could complement the limitations of the ROK's approach to regional security order management, particularly in this time of a rapid transition to a bipolar East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most extant research on the performance implications of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has focused on established firms and on firm-specific and organizational factors. We contribute to EO research by studying the performance effects of EO sub-dimensions on the performance of new technology-based firms (NTBFs) and by examining environmental uncertainty, which is related to national institutional development, as an important boundary condition in an East Asian context. We analyze survey data from 2023 NTBFs in China, South Korea, and Japan and find that while the NTBFs' performance is positively related to their entrepreneurial behavior, it is negatively related to their managerial attitude toward risk-taking. Furthermore, the positive performance effect of entrepreneurial behavior is weakened by environmental uncertainty, which is higher in China than in South Korea and Japan. Our findings suggest that for NTBFs, the performance implications of EO sub-dimensions need to be studied separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I present a framework for GVC‐oriented industrial policy that merges the so‐called GVC perspective and the so‐called developmentalist perspective—the latter of which is a perspective that industrial policy is most often analysed through, but has been somewhat neglected by the GVC perspective. I argue that the GVC perspective too quickly dismisses the relevance of industrial policy in the East Asian development experience, particularly those in South Korea and Taiwan between roughly 1960 and 1990. By drawing on the industrialisation experiences of these two countries, my framework for industrial policy suggests that the GVC perspective's ideas for industrial policy would be strengthened by more clearly acknowledging the continued importance of three observations by the developmentalist perspective: (a) the need for governments in developing countries to bargain with foreign investors for the purpose of domestic industrialisation; (b) policy design should not only focus on increasing exports, but also focus on replacing some imports with domestic production; and (c) linking up to the value chains of transnational corporations based in high‐income countries can bring about some benefits, but ultimately, successful industrialisation necessitates a degree of competing with transnational corporations. State‐owned enterprises have historically played an important role in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the rise of anti-Korean sentiment in contemporary Taiwan particularly at the turn of the 2010s. It moves beyond conceptualizing emotion as psychological status to conceive anti-Korean sentiment as a cultural text that debunks the complexity of emotion as an active agent of collective (un)consciousness. Specifically, the paper considers anti-Korean sentiment in Taiwan as an affective space where young Taiwanese demonstrate their active engagement in (re)locating Taiwan in the global imaginative map and their struggle for national identity in the midst of increasing geopolitical tensions in East Asia. Instead of seeing anti-Korean sentiment from an international relations perspective, this paper studies anti-Korean sentiment from a bottom-up perspective through in-depth interviews with young Taiwanese who are actively engaging with anti-Korean discussions and explore various ways that anti-Korean sentiment mediates and transforms imaginative relations between Taiwan and Korea and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Octagonal buildings in ancient Korea were mostly constructed in the likeness of Buddhist pagodas that emerged during the Goguryeo era. The ancient Chinese books of Jiuzhang Suanshu and Yingzao Fashi confirm that, in constructing Fogongsi's Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, the ancients could not design a full-form regular octagonal plan in the pre-seventeenth century before the introduction of Western mathematics. Eight-cornered monuments in Japan and Korea faced the same challenge. Thus, this study examines the acceptance and limitations of adapting octagonal drawing methods in Korean architecture from Chinese and Western mathematics. It conducts comparative studies of architectural and mathematical history in pre-modern and modern times. It reveals that field carpenters applied Yingzao Fashi's formula in constructing an octagon via a square's diagonal ratio. Further, the Western method of constructing regular octagons was introduced to the Korean Peninsula in the eighteenth century but was not utilized at work sites. Ultimately, the concepts in mathematics texts had a certain influence on the formative beauty of wooden constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies of East Asian welfare regimes focus on similarities between social security schemes. In contrast, this paper explores cross-national variations in public–private pension mixes in six welfare states: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Our research echoes the pension policy analysis of international organisations but takes a step forward with emphasis on the historical and institutional characteristics of the respective pension systems. The analysis identifies three institutional patterns. First, the statist pension system (Taiwan and China) primarily relies on public pensions to provide old-age security, with private pensions playing a rather minor role. Second, in the dualist pension system (Japan and Korea) both public and private pensions work in parallel to ensure retirement income, though a clear security gap exists between workers in the formal and informal economies. Finally, the individualist pension system (Hong Kong and Singapore) is characterised by genuine fully funded individual accounts, emphasising citizens' own responsibilities for ensuring old-age security. These three types of pension systems demonstrate distinct institutional characteristics and policy outcomes, illustrated by the juxtaposition of their institutional structures as well as by the comparison of key indicators collected from government reports and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development statistics. The paper concludes with a theoretical reflection of East Asian pension policies and a diagnosis of the distinct challenges confronted by each of the various pension patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Students from Eastern countries score well on international assessments in science yet lack interest in pursuing science careers. Several factors play into students' perceptions of science and scientists, including their home life and attributes of the society in which they live (habitus and capital). One understudied means of examining this issue is exploring the extent to which these perceptions relate to students' role model ideations of scientists, especially among non-western student populations. This paper explores 159 South Korean students' perceptions of science and scientists at two private K-12 schools in South Korea using an adapted form of the Draw-a-Scientist Test. Using the motivational theory of role modeling (MTRM) as a theoretical framework, data was coded from surveys using the three MTRM constructs: goal embodiment, attainability, and desirability. Comparisons were made between schools, genders, across age ranges, and from their direct and indirect knowledge sources of scientists using thematic coding and chi-square analysis. Reported sources of scientists were predominantly sourced from popular media. Although the results suggest no significant difference between how science role models were perceived or ideated between schools or genders, sampled students viewed scientists as embodying goals of intelligence with low ideations of attainability and desirability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine and compare decision‐making preferences on end‐of‐life care for older people in Japan, the Hong Kong SAR and South Korea. Background: Cultural values and beliefs influence decision‐making on end‐of‐life care. Design: A cross‐sectional design was adopted. Methods: Community‐dwelling people aged ≥65 with additional requirements were recruited in 2016–2017 in the three regions. Their decision‐making preferences on end‐of‐life care were assessed using Pang et al.'s questionnaire. These preferences and their sociodemographic and personal experience variables were compared and analysed using univariate and multiple logistic regressions. The STROBE checklist was followed. Results: This study involved 415 participants. In all three regions, the most preferred decision maker and person with whom to discuss end‐of‐life care issues was a family member. Participants in the Hong Kong SAR were less likely to select a family member as their preferred decision maker than those in Japan (adjusted odds ratio = 0.129). Koreans were less likely to discuss end‐of‐life care issues with medical professionals than people in Japan (adjusted odds ratio = 0.278). More than 70% of the participants in each region indicated that they would not prefer to leave an advance directive to decide their end‐of‐life care. Conclusion: Older Asians prefer to make their own decisions after consulting others. Family members play an important role in helping older people plan their preferred end‐of‐life care arrangements, even acting as decision makers when older people become incapable of deciding for themselves. Relevance to clinical practice: Sufficient information should be provided to older people and their families for the older people to determine their preferred care. Helping families to understand and support the planned care and advance directives is a strategy for maximising family compliance with the care. Continuous efforts should be made to promote advance care planning and advance directives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the reorganization of the roles of the national and local governments in public housing policy alongside decentralization, with particular reference to South Korea. Focusing on policy changes over the past decade, it reveals that rather than retrenchment amid a push towards greater local autonomy, the national government has diversified and expanded its public housing policy, and is increasingly pursuing a universal approach to public housing. Through case studies of Seoul and Gyeonggi, it also shows how the two local governments have become creative suppliers of public housing that is more customized to the local context. In particular, it highlights the rising emphasis on targeting young people rather than the very poor in public housing policies, a shift that is partly a legacy of Korea's 'productivist' welfare state. The paper closes by discussing the implications of this latest policy trend, especially on local-national policy coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Korea's anti-multiculturalism discourse – the rejection of migrants and of a multicultural future for South Korea – made inroads in progressive popular online forums in the 2010s. Through an analysis of two such forums, this paper shows how online discussions have made the explicit rejection of multiethnic coexistence palatable to a broad group of predominantly male liberal users through a process of "scapegoating" dark-skinned foreign workers and the children of multicultural families for precarity caused by state-driven neoliberalism. The users' collective discussions do contain some critiques of the neoliberal coalition of corporations, government, and media that have deployed multicultural policies. However, the popular political dynamics of online space enable users to focus on racial Others, who are more available as scapegoats in gendered, racialized, and classed ways – presenting dark-skinned migrants as accomplices and beneficiaries of the elite coalition allegedly taking rights from South Korean male citizens. These collective discussions justify xenophobia in the name of a progressive critique and preemptively stall discussion about a possible multicultural future for South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like other islands of the Cold War frontier in East Asia, such as Okinawa, Jinmen, and Matsu, the Five West Sea Islands (FWI) of South Korea have been a highly contested frontier of both domestic and inter‐Korean politics. This study views the FWI as a geopolitical imaginary that was constructed during the Cold War and has been sustained throughout the post‐Cold War era. Specifically, we focus on how the South Korean government has constructed the islands in the Yellow Sea into a powerful geopolitical imaginary and linked them with the inter‐Korean border conflicts around the Northern Limit Line (NLL), from the mid‐1970s onwards. We hope that this study will deepen our understanding of how particular geopolitical imaginaries are produced and consolidated. Furthermore, it should help us better grasp how the Cold War order has been sustained, both discursively and materially, in inter‐Korean and East Asian geopolitics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though remote work in South Korea was very unusual before the pandemic, the COVID-19 pandemic has facilitated remote work, so the ratio of remote workers to total employees increased from 0.5% in 2019 to 5.4% in 2021. In this regard, this study investigated determinants of remote work during the pandemic using the Economically Active Population Survey in 2019, 2020, and 2021 with a logistic regression. Since the Korean government did not impose a national lockdown and business owners introduced remote work voluntarily, this study can identify significant heterogeneity. First, younger, female, highly-educated, and high-earning workers are more likely to work remotely. Second, large firms tend to provide more remote work opportunities to their employees. Lastly, ICT, finance, and education sectors present high probabilities to remote work. In recent times, remote work has been considered an important trigger to alleviate long working hours and improve work-life balance in Korea; however, it is also necessary to relieve remote work inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the representation of international education in the Korean print media, by comparing texts produced by the leading conservative (Chosun) and progressive (Hankyoreh) newspapers in 1997 and 2014 (N = 271 articles). We find a major expansion and diversification of media articles on international education, including rising numbers of articles mentioning non-traditional destinations (beyond USA and UK), written or shaped by non-traditional media producers (i.e., educational agents), and including individual-utilitarian and positive themes. We quantify, and find statistically significant correlations among, three key variables (destination, media producer, discourse theme). Articles mentioning non-traditional destinations are more likely to be written or shaped by agents than by journalists only. Articles mentioning non-traditional destinations and articles written or shaped by agents include relatively more positive and individual-utilitarian themes (but not more individual-expressive themes) than do articles not mentioning non-traditional destinations and articles written by journalists only. Theoretically, we link the evolution of media discourse to neo-liberal structural and ideological changes that encourage market competition and consumer choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasterope Kornicker, 1975 is a marine ostracod genus with 49 species described so far, which makes it the most diverse representative of the subfamily Cylindroleberidinae, as well as the entire family Cylindroleberididae. Despite its global distribution no species are reported from South Korea. Three new species collected from the Korean coast of the Sea of Japan (Parasterope busanensis sp. nov., P. singula sp. nov., and P. sohi sp. nov.), and one from the Japanese coast of the Pacific Ocean (P. sagami sp. nov.) are described. A taxonomic key to all named species from East Asia is provided. A phylogenetic tree is reconstructed based on partial 16S rRNA sequences of the four new species and other Cylindroleberidinae available from GenBank. Monophyly of Parasterope is supported by high posterior probabilities, but the phylogenetic analyses also indicate that some of the GenBank data attributed to this genus are probably misidentifications. A map of distribution and a checklist of all described Parasterope species are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor air pollution continues to be a challenging health issue, even as countries experience economic growth. By exploiting a unique transboundary setting in East Asia, we study the impact of an increase in particulate matter (PM) concentrations on fetal deaths. Due to the westerlies in the mid-latitudes, residents in South Korea at times experience intermittent exposure to high levels of air pollution. Using such atmospheric setting, we estimate a reduced-form impact of high PM events on fetal deaths, which captures in utero exposure to pollution. Controlling for local weather and pollution trends, regression results indicate that high PM events in Beijing lead to a significant increase in daily fetal mortality rates in Korea, by approximately 7.4 per cent. This research finding provides lower-bound estimates of not only negative spillovers manifested in fetal health but also the impact of pollution on the health of the Chinese population and calls for a need to tackle transboundary air pollution via international cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global influence of colonial imperialism has affected the Confucian tradition of Chinese border countries in modern history. France became involved in the establishment of the Vietnamese Nguyen dynasty (1802--1945) under the pretext of protecting Catholic missionaries. Japanese Korea refers to the period when the late Joseon dynasty struggled with colonial rule from 1910-1945. Such historical difficulty caused the transformation of society, culture, and thought in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The new religious movement (NRM) was another cultural phenomenon in the region; many indigenous NRMs appeared, from Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, to shamanism. Among them, Cao Đài and Daesoon Jinrihoe of Jeungsanism have been the most successful and progressive groups. How did they emerge in these transitional societies? What were their backgrounds? What were their unique teachings? How were they so prosperous even under politico-social persecution? This article explores both new movements' geo-religious nature through a comparative perspective that incorporates the subjects of origin, ethnic and political identity, cosmology, key teachings, sacred sites and rituals, and gender-related leadership. The article argues the critical insight that the two monotheistic syncretic religions of Gucheon Sangje and Cao Dài, under the big bang theory, are each unique, but historically they have also been ethnical grassroots organizations that are nationalistic, independent, anti-colonial, and counter-modern in Sino-Asian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, research on ‘political apology’, wherein the state apologizes to victims of its past wrongs, has multiplied, as redress movements based on human rights have proliferated around the world. Since most of this research has been conducted by political philosophers, however, analyses of political apologies tend to adopt formal and normative perspectives. To propose an alternative, empirically-grounded approach, in this paper, I develop the ‘cultural pragmatics’ of political apology. To this end, I first conceptualize political apology as a social performance aimed to ‘re-fuse’ an impaired relationship between the perpetrator state and the victim individual. This conceptual move enables systematic analysis of political apology in terms of six elements constitutive of social performance: collective representations, actors, audience, means of symbolic production, mise-en-scène, and power. To elaborate this model of the cultural pragmatics of political apology, I then examine the protracted dispute over wartime atrocities that Japan committed against South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are an important concern in regional water management; however, little is known about the AR impacts on hydrology in East Asia (EA). This study analyzes the characteristics of storms, precipitation (P), streamflow (Q), and runoff coefficient (R) in the Namgang‐dam basin in Korea related to ARs for 2000–2013, as well as the sensitivity of the analysis results to AR detection methods, using observed P, Q, and three different AR inventories. The basin experiences 37.3 storms annually, of which 54% are AR storms that provide over 60% of the annual P and Q. The AR (non‐AR) storms are dominant in storm frequency and the storm‐total P and Q for January–July (August–December) with peaks in July (August). The monthly AR frequency varies closely with the seasonal variations in the EA monsoon and the North Pacific storm track which modulate the number of extratropical cyclones. The AR storms produce most of the extreme events; they also generate larger storm‐mean P and Q than the non‐AR storms for all months. The seasonal variations in R are related to the total (AR‐ and non‐AR storms combined) P through the seasonal soil water variations, making the AR effects on R unclear. Considering 95% confidence intervals, the AR storms are distinguished well from the non‐AR storms in storm frequency and the storm‐total and storm‐mean P and Q. The sensitivity to AR inventories is not critical in quantifying the AR‐storm characteristics and their impacts on hydrologic variables except for R. Key Points: Atmospheric river storms provide over 60% of the annual rainfall/runoff to become the primary source of water resources and extreme hydrologic events for the basinThe seasonal cycles of runoff/runoff coefficients are primarily shaped by the seasonal cycle of soil water content in response to seasonal precipitationDifferences among multiple atmospheric rivers (ARs) inventories are a minor concern for the uncertainties in assessing the AR effects on the hydrology in the basin [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades East Asian countries have demonstrated the simultaneous developments of state welfare provision, immigration control and immigrant integration policy. Despite significant growth in related interest and research, studies on immigrants and their social inclusion are still relatively scarce, especially in terms of the intersection of East Asian welfare and immigration regimes. This study thus examined and compared, from a historical perspective, the development of welfare and immigration regimes and their impact on the social rights of low‐skilled labour migrants in Japan and South Korea. These two countries have taken somewhat divergent paths, which has resulted in the persistent ethnic differentiation of low‐skilled labour migrants in Japan and their ethnically hierarchical inclusion in Korea. This article argues that the two policy legacies of East Asian welfare and immigration regimes, namely, productivism and ethnic nationalism, still significantly matter in policy making related to low‐skilled labour migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the webtoon (wept'un)—a term coined in Korea to refer to webcomics—which is arguably the most pervasive and powerful form of digital serial production in twenty-first-century Korea. Webtoons have developed by utilizing various potentials that the digital platform offers, such as open solicitation, (partial) free web/mobile distribution, profit from advertisement and page viewing, and transmedia production. As a new cultural medium, the webtoon is thus inseparable from its platform and organically tied to its distinctive platform ecology, which is different from the ecosystems that other (global) mega-platforms create. Engaging with the insights from recent studies of platforms and utilizing empirical media analysis, I argue that Korean webtoon platforms demonstrate the continuing and intensifying dependency of art on platforms—a process that I call "the platformization of culture"—and that this specific type of platformization is reinforced by what I call "the artist incubating system." The case of webtoon platforms reveals a number of telling aspects of media ecosystems for art production in the digital age—aspects that are spreading and expanding to various fields of art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I reflect on the theoretical rise of the public sphere in the 1990s from the vantage point of South Korea, connecting this approach to the broader context of the global post–Cold War transition. The case of South Korea – a postcolonial, authoritarian country with deep geopolitical connections to the West – offers a node of the global embrace of the public sphere in the 1990s for theorizing the transformation of authoritarian countries into liberal capitalist democracies, elevating the distinction between state and civil society as a prominent focus. However, the establishment of authoritarian public spheres in Asia and the illiberal turn of public spheres in the Global North in the 2010s call upon scholars to identify relevant questions regarding current public spheres while addressing what essential components define the public sphere. Here, I call for critical attention to the loci of power and oppression, to the production of critical practices within a particular social configuration, and to coexistence within a civil society. I end the article by proposing a set of suggestions for reading, theorizing, and teaching public sphere theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is part of the special issue Creative Labor in East Asia. By exploring specific politico-economic and institutional, conditions promoting actually existing precarity in Korean digital game labor, this study aims to examine how the industrial and institutional conditions of precarity affect digital game workers' subjectivity. Under this theoretical and empirical consideration, the study first delineates how the rapid industrial transition to the mobile game market happens in relation to the Korean government's deregulation policy on that particular market. It then scrutinizes the ways in which this industrial shift deepens labor precarity, promotes degradation of skills, and ultimately fragments workers in the digital game industry. Based on this structural analysis, it argues that the fragmented industrial structure of the digital game industry in Korea not only actually fosters contrasting labor subjectivities but also promotes fragmented resistances among Korean digital game workers. By critically evaluating both possibilities and limitations of the recent firm-centered union movements created by digital game workers, the study ultimately concludes that finding a way to connect organized unions to unorganized freelance workers is absolutely necessary to actually transform "precarity" into "solidarity." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although 30 years have passed since the ASEAN-Korea dialogue partnership began, the two sides' political and security relations remain irregular and limited. Although such limits have been widely recognized, they have rarely been examined comprehensively. This study aims to address this gap by focusing on Korean executive leadership as key diplomatic actors who are shaping an inconsistent and distant partnership with ASEAN. The findings show that the executives' changing conceptualizations of the regions and the approaches to regional security with limited agency independence in the bureaucracy have been major obstacles to finding a reliable common ground for institutionalizing cooperation with ASEAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first record of the genus Typhlocolenis Hoshina, 2008 (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Leiodinae, Pseudoliodini) in South Korea. Two new Korean species are described, under the names T. sillaensis sp. nov. and T. jejudoensis sp. nov. As a result of this study, the number of Typhlocolenis species is now five. A key to the species of the genus is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Asian Politics & Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article critically reviews the national innovation systems of the four little tigers in East Asia, namely Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea, in fostering R&D and technological research. A national innovation system is characterised by the interactions between the state, industries and universities in promoting innovation. This article attempts to explore such interactions in the four societies, paying particular attention to the role of higher education. Specifically, university–industry collaboration is the main body of analysis. Drawing from comparative perspectives, this article finally maps out the national innovation systems of East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Political analyses of the East Asian welfare state development often stress the importance of the power resource model, in which vibrant coalitions between the leftist party, interest groups, civil society and working-class unions have become driving factors in producing generous welfare outcomes. Challenging such analyses, this article discusses the convergence of the political attitude between political actors who are increasingly homogeneous (supportive) when it comes to the universal welfare state notion by focussing on childcare in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach: By using desk review of the peer-reviewed literature and reports, this article investigates the causation for why political parties with different political ideologies were keen on extending childcare programs and its outcome in addressing the existing demographic problems in Korea. Findings: Although the collective movement, especially in the 1990s and 2000s, had given important contributions to the early development of childcare in South Korea, more breakthroughs in childcare features were precisely and rapidly developed after politicians from different spectrums of political affiliations converged in their supportive attitude of the universal welfare. The driving factors of political convergence itself are not merely due to electoral competition or political activism; furthermore, it can be linked to the increased global institution involvement in domestic policy with extensive permeability, which, have ruined domestic policy development maintained for ideological reasoning and bring in more popular policy setting. Originality/value: This article contributes to the growing literature on the political aspect of East Asian social policy studies, which goes beyond the traditional power resource analysis and makes a novel contribution to the childcare policy studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to test key social capital indicators in a disaster context by considering the bonding and bridging types of social capital. Using the East Asian Social Survey, this study chooses three behavioural/cognitive elements of social capital—social trust, voluntary association membership, and personal networks—and divides them into bonding and bridging social capital, in‐group and out‐group trust, homogeneous and heterogeneous membership, and strong and weak ties to test their effects on self‐evaluated community resilience to natural hazards. The results showed that social trust and personal networks had strong positive effects, but the effect of voluntary association membership was positive in societies with high rates of membership (Japan and South Korea) and negative in a society with a low rate of membership (Taiwan). Furthermore, while bonding social capital generally showed a stronger effect than bridging social capital in East Asia, a society with more frequent and intense disasters (Japan) showed a strong effect of heterogenous membership on self‐evaluated community resilience. This study connects two aspects of social capital studies—the elements and the types of social capital—and the findings imply that the relationship between social capital and community resilience may have some mediator variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the effectiveness of policy creating science parks is evaluated with respect to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Science parks created to support innovation and regional growth often target productivity gains through agglomeration economies. However, spatial proximity of firms may also stimulate selection, less competitive firms being forced to exit, a cluster of high-productivity, surviving firms being observed at the regional level. Empirical studies also show that high- or low-productivity firms or both may spatially sort into a region. Using estimates of firm-level total factor productivity, the science park sorting and selection behavior of Taiwanese and South Korean SMEs is analyzed. The results indicate heterogeneity in location choice of SMEs arising from the economic environment of science parks. Overall, the empirical evidence suggests that science parks can generate real productivity improvements if the incentives are reinforced through national-level policies; otherwise, such incentives may end up protecting inefficient firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American bullfrog Rana catesbeiana Shaw, 1802 (= Lithobates catesbeianus) is one of the world's most problematic amphibians. In both 1957 and 1973, the species was introduced to the Republic of Korea, in order to be bred as a food resource. However, after breeding efforts failed, the breeders illegally released the frogs into the wild. Now, about 50 years later, the species is distributed throughout the nation. The aim of our study was to document the distribution of R. catesbeiana throughout the Republic of Korea by analyzing several nationwide surveys. The species was reported to occur at 2,716 sites, mainly along the southern and western coasts, but was rarely distributed in the northern part of Korea or along the eastern coast. Further studies are needed to elucidate the effect of R. catesbeiana on the native ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose THE global economic crisis caused by an improperly regulated financial sector giving way to excessive risk-taking behaviour has led to a worldwide crises, and widespread slow down and loss of jobs. The situation in East Asia is somewhat different from that in the western world in that finance bubbles had already been burst in the 1997 crisis and lessons learned from that. Nevertheless, developing East Asia is still dependent on western markets as destinations for exports as domestic markets remain insufficiently developed to absorb production of goods and services. In this situation, states such as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia look to examples from elsewhere in the region concerning the means of transforming themselves from being part of the factory age, which limits growth at the upward end of the middle income range, into the higher income range of economies. Examples include the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and even to some extent Malaysia. This raises the question of the extent to which the examples of those other states, in which labour market management has passed further along a familiar trajectory, offer practical examples that can be applied in the developing states that follow behind them. Issues of relevance in this case include wage and compensation issues, management of unions and the freedom of speech, association and collective bargaining, as well as the interaction between the education system and the labour market. Design Methodology/Approach: The paper employs a critical-analytical approach based on a mixture of secondary data sources introduced into a framework for analysis. Findings: It is found that significant differences exist between the various states concerned according to the analytical framework, which incorporates geographical and historical factors, including the role of the actors involved in the Cold War, as well as the diffusion of technology, the availability of capital for investment and other institutional factors. There are also important similarities to be noted. Research Limitations/Implication: The analysis is conducted at a macro-level and more variations might be found if factors and data were to be disaggregated to the industry level or even further. Practical Implications: The analysis provides useful information for understanding the nature of investment regimes in the countries studied and the nature and structure of their labour markets. Originality/Value: Labour is often the overlooked factor when it comes not just to investment decisions (when aggregate costs are dominant) but also in economic and social development both from low to middle income and from middle to upper income levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The East Asian community debates project the region as one integral unit. Rapidly shifting landscapes explain the tension between the old order and emerging hierarchy where North Korea plays a crucial role. This paper analyzes North Korea's place in the East Asian community debates by examining the regional governments' reactions to the Cheonan incident. The responses and circumstances of South Korea, Japan and North Korea to the sunken ship incident demonstrate three dynamics. First, domestic political needs of the regional government supersede normative Community rhetoric. Second, manageability of the North Korean regime will determine the next regional hegemon. And third, the community debates need to include North Korea for viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new interstitial species, Caecianiropsis goseongensis sp. n. is described from littoral off the east coast of Korea (Sea of Japan). The species can be distinguished from its congeners by the number of antennular articles, shape of the male appendix masculina, setation of pereopods, and length ratio of the uropodal rami. To aid species identification a taxonomic key to all species of Caecianiropsis Menzies & Pettit, 1956 is also provided as well as a partial 16S mitochondrial ribosome RNA of the new species, which is the first genetic information for the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Old-age income security has become one of the most important social policy issues in two East Asian emerging welfare states, South Korea and Taiwan, as they transform at a remarkable pace into societies with a representation of older people approaching that of western countries. During the last two decades, the two countries have developed different forms of social protection for older people. South Korea has expanded social insurance pensions with means-tested benefits, whereas Taiwan has introduced flat-rate old-age allowance programmes that exclude the rich rather than target the poor. much has been written about these programmes, but their actual performance in reducing old-age poverty has not been thoroughly examined. This paper analyses the anti-poverty effect of these programmes, firstly by describing recent developments in the two countries, and secondly by examining headcount poverty rates and the size and incidence of the 'poverty gap' using nationally-representative micro-household datasets. We argue that while the programmes have increasingly reduced old-age income security, the different policy choices have resulted in distinctive welfare outcomes in the two countries. In the final section of the article, we discuss the long-term implications of the recent policy reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do voters respond to individual worries about the employment situation in elections? This paper examines the effect of issue salience of the employment situation on voter choice. Drawing theoretical insights from the partisan salience of issue voting theories, I argue that voters who previously supported parties on the right are likely to change their political allegiance to support a center-left party when they think the employment issue is one of the most salient issues in the election. Furthermore, I argue that middle income voters are more likely to respond to an increasing salience of the employment issue than other groups are. These theoretical arguments are tested against the post-crisis 2002 Korean presidential election survey data. The empirical evidence from the Korean case suggests that structural reforms of the economy and neoliberal economic policies can evoke particular voting patterns in the voters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do the president's calculations in achieving policy goals shape the allocation of cabinet portfolios? Despite the growing literature on presidential cabinet appointments, this question has barely been addressed. I argue that cabinet appointments are strongly affected not only by presidential incentives to effectively deliver their key policy commitments but also by their interest in having their administration maintain strong political leverage. Through an analysis of portfolio allocations in South Korea after democratization, I demonstrate that the posts wherein ministers can influence the government's overall reputation typically go to nonpartisan professionals ideologically aligned with presidents, while the posts wherein ministers can exert legislators' influence generally go to senior copartisans. My findings highlight a critical difference in presidential portfolio allocation from parliamentary democracies, where key posts tend to be reserved for senior parliamentarians from the ruling party. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a critical analysis of the current political trajectory of the anti-neoliberal globalization movement (ANGM) in South Korea. Drawing on framing theory, it analyzes the ways in which the Korean ANGM interpreted a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. This article postulates that national sovereignty was the master frame of the Korean ANGM and that the movement has projected the nation-state as the ethical guardian of 'national interests' without specifying an alternative trading or economic model that can better serve the interests of the people. Thus, through pointing out the shortcomings of a nationalist framing that ignores the class relations and conflicting interests that ultimately shape the contents of any trade or economic development model, this article seeks to bring attention to the limitations of the ANGM as well as the need to develop alternatives to the existing global trading system. Este articulo ofrece una vision critica de la trayectoria politica del movimiento de globalizacion antineoliberal (ANGM, por sus siglas en ingles) en Corea del Sur. Extrayendo de una teoria enmarcada, el articulo analiza las maneras como el movimiento de globalizacion antineoliberal enmarco un tratado de libre comercio (FTA, por sus siglas en ingles) con los Estados Unidos y luego discute las limitaciones y las deficiencias de la enmarcacion del movimiento del tratado de libre comercio. Sostiene que la soberania nacional fue la enmarcacion principal del movimiento coreano y que la enmarcacion nacionalista del tratado de libre comercio, no era fundamentalmente diferente del discurso hegemonico de la elite coreana, sobre el tratado de libre comercio. Tambien asume que dado que los principales prognosticos de los marcos del movimiento se enfocaron al proteccionismo selectivo y capitalismo de bienestar, tendieron a limitar el rango de alternativas a la globalizacion neoliberal. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tectonic provinces in South Korea include the Precambrian Gyeonggi Massif, Palaeozoic Okcheon Belt, Precambrian Yeongnam Massif and Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin, from northwest to southeast. The Cretaceous strata mainly occur in the Gyeongsang Basin as well as in several small basins along the boundaries of the Okcheon Belt and on the Gyeonggi Massif. This paper reviews and analyses previously published palaeomagnetic data from the Cretaceous successions in South Korea. A total of 23 Cretaceous palaeomagnetic poles, from 18 studies, satisfy more than four standard reliability criteria. The palaeomagnetic pole positions, from the Gyeongsang Basin and from small basins in the Gyeonggi Massif and the Okcheon Belt, are consistent with one another, indicating that the Korean Peninsula has been a single terrane since the Cretaceous. However, based on the comparison of the palaeomagnetic pole positions and the palaeolatitudes of blocks in the Gyeongsang Basin, it was observed that the Gyeongsang Basin had experienced tectonic adjustments during the Cretaceous Period. Within the Gyeongsang Basin, the geographically northern area (Yeongyang block) was rotated counterclockwise by with respect to the southern area (Milyang and Uiseong blocks), based on the comparison of palaeomagnetic pole positions between the two areas. This palaeomagnetic result and some geological features in the Gyeongsang Basin collectively indicate that the Yeongyang block underwent counterclockwise rotations, accompanied by northwestward protrusion, into the Yeongnam Massif during the Late Cretaceous. These relative tectonic movements within the Gyeongsang Basin were probably due to the northwestward subduction of the proto-Pacific oceanic plate during the Late Cretaceous. The gradual eastward displacement of the Korea's Cretaceous palaeopoles, from the Eurasian pole, increases with stratigraphic age, indicating that the Korean Peninsula underwent progressive clockwise rotations, with respect to Eurasia, during the Cretaceous Period. The clockwise rotation of Southwest Japan, with respect to Eurasia, is ascribed to the Miocene opening of the East Sea, and has no connection with the Cretaceous clockwise rotations of the Korean Peninsula, indicating that the Korean Peninsula and Southwest Japan may have been independent terranes during the Cretaceous Period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Korea's rising status in regional and global affairs has received significant attention in recent years. In academic, media, and policy debates, though, South Korea is usually regarded as a mere middle power that, due to its geopolitical situation, has only limited leeway in its foreign policy choices. Accordingly, it must constantly maneuver between its larger neighbors: China, Japan, and Russia. However, this perspective negates the fact that the same geopolitical constraints also apply to other states in the region. Thus no country can easily project its power onto others. We use the concept of 'regional power' as a template for investigating South Korea's rising stature in regional and global politics, and argue that Seoul appears quite capable of keeping up with other assumed regional powers. Hence, we not only provide a novel account of South Korea's foreign policy options but also go beyond current approaches by asking about the (undetermined) possibilities that exist for Seoul's regional relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Redistributive land reforms implemented in post-WWII Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have often been considered a substantial stimulus for these countries' subsequent economic growth. Before the reforms, there were a small number of large landlords and many small tenant cultivators, but after the reforms, tenancy effectively disappeared. This article assesses the impact of reforms on structural change and income per capita, and shows that reforms were responsible for at least half of the actual reallocation of labor out of agriculture in each of these countries in the aftermath of the reforms. By contrast, their impact on income per capita was small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facing both neoliberalism and the persisting legacies of developmentalism, many South Korean cities continue to subscribe to strong growth-first ideologies, despite their deindustrialization and aging populations. The growth orientation in cities, however, is far from being limited to South Korea. In fact, the recently emerging discourse on urban shrinkage, which has been West-centric so far, is questioning the bias toward growth in cities, and calling for a paradigm shift. This article brings together the literatures on shrinking cities and urban politics to illustrate how an East Asian city, transforming from a developmentalist to an entrepreneurial city, could seek a development alternative to the one based on the neoliberal competition for capital. Specifically, it examines the case of Totatoga, a culture-led urban revitalization project in a declining, old commercial district of Busan. It explains how a new kind of state–society collaboration opportunely explored a development path other than growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study develops and validates Time Constraints Scale (TCS) within South Korean market. Based on focus group interviews, a survey instrument for TCS that measures an individual's propensity in time constraints in overseas holidays has been developed. The validation process of the TCS includes statistical tests of principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). TCS was further tested through its measurement model and its convergent and discriminant validity, identifying three major factors in understanding Korean tourists. The main traits in the developed TCS of the current study underscore the Confucian heritage and high-context cultural base of the South Korean market. This cultural base subsequently leads to market implications for other East Asian tourist markets such as Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese, among others. Theoretical and industry implications of the TCS are elaborated and direction for future research is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective This study aims to synthesise evidence on time trends of dementia prevalence in East Asian countries including Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan and assess the impact of the societal changes on future prevalence. Method Relevant reviews and recent nationwide studies in East Asia were identified to investigate changes in prevalence of dementia over time taking into account the potential impact of methodological factors and study designs. Results The robust evidence that has been interpreted to suggest a substantial increasing trend over time is less compelling once fundamental differences in study methods and populations across individual surveys are considered. In Japan, longitudinal studies in small areas suggest the potential increase of prevalence after 2000. Increasing trends in China, South Korea and Taiwan over the last 20-30 years are based on the literature review without adjustment for methodological differences. Economic development and huge societal changes alongside the rise of non-communicable disease in East Asia could lead to increasing prevalence of dementia in the future once those cohorts with high risk of dementia reached their older age. Conclusion Current evidence is not sufficient to suggest increasing trends of dementia prevalence in East Asia. Longitudinal studies with representative samples and stable methodology are needed to provide fundamental information of the epidemiology of dementia and identify important risk factors in East Asian societies. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To describe the main vegetation types of the Korean zonal forests and explore their relationship with the main environmental and geographic gradients. Location Korean Peninsula. Methods A data set of 3847 relevés of zonal (semi)natural forest stands, together with environmental factors recorded in the field or derived from interpolated climatic data was collected. Using the hierarchical ISOPAM method, the relevés were classified into main forest types and their species composition, diversity and distribution were described. Their differentiation along main environmental gradients was analysed with classification and regression trees. Results Eleven vegetation types of forests were distinguished and assigned to five vegetation classes: Quercetea mongolicae (representing the core of the Korean temperate forests), Vaccinio-Piceetea (subalpine coniferous forest), Fagetea crenatae (rare beech-dominated forest included within a sub-montane and sub-oceanic type of oak-dominated forest), Querco mongolicae- Betuletea davuricae (sub-continental drought- and fire-tolerant forest, differentiated along elevational gradient) and Camellietea japonicae (oceanic evergreen forest). At a higher hierarchical level, these 11 vegetation types were grouped into three clusters, which most probably reflect different vegetation development in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Within the three major vegetation clusters, each forest type occupies a distinct environment. The forest types are especially well separated along elevational and temperature gradients. The distribution of individual forest types is joinly driven by total amount of incoming energy and thermal extremes, both affecting water supply to plant communities. Conclusions All distinguished vegetation types can be assigned to the recent syntaxonomic classification system. However, three main vegetation clusters do not correspond to traditionally distinguished syntaxonomic units. Nevertheless, the forest types within these clusters share common species with similar ecology and, especially, migration histories during the late glacial and post-glacial periods. Therefore, we interpret these clusters as biogeographic patterns reflecting vegetation history rather than the current environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To provide an overview of the prevalence and profiles of grandparents providing childcare to grandchildren in 2 East Asian countries, China and South Korea, characterized by similar demographic developments and a shared cultural background but having very different contemporary institutional and socioeconomic circumstances. Method. We apply logistic models to analyze pilot data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA; Wave 2). Our analytic sample comprises 772 Chinese respondents and 4,958 Korean respondents aged 45–79. Results. The proportions of grandparents providing childcare to grandchildren differ considerably between China (58%) and South Korea (6%). Still, the determinants of grandparents’ involvement in childcare (e.g., age, geographic proximity) are fairly similar in both countries. However, financial support from adult children to grandparents is found to be significant in China only, whereas Korean grandparents exhibit a greater propensity to care for their (employed) daughters’ children than for their sons’ children. Discussion. Our analysis suggests that in South Korea, patrilineal considerations may begin to lose some of their importance in shaping downward functional solidarity between generations and that instead (grand-)children’s actual needs, particularly those related to maternal employment, receive more attention. We find no such evidence in our Chinese sample. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]