This thesis explores COVID-19 induced economic uncertainty within South Korea, the consequences hereof for South Korea’s economic outlook, other modifiers that may be of relevance, and how consumer...Show moreThis thesis explores COVID-19 induced economic uncertainty within South Korea, the consequences hereof for South Korea’s economic outlook, other modifiers that may be of relevance, and how consumer uncertainty compares to established uncertainty indexes. It finds that economic uncertainty is present within the South Korean populace, that its effect on consumption may not be as clear cut as other literature suggests, that it impacts labour mobility and long-term economic outcomes and how risk aversion and acquaintances play a role in this. It furthermore finds that consumer uncertainty and uncertainty indexes do not always correlate, that vaccination sentiment may affect the economic outlook, how retail investors support capital markets and that consumer opinion may counterbalance trade-sector uncertainty.Show less
Since 1949, South Korean men are required to serve in the military for approximately 18 months. In 2018, South Korea's armed forces included around 608,000 active military personnel, including 107...Show moreSince 1949, South Korean men are required to serve in the military for approximately 18 months. In 2018, South Korea's armed forces included around 608,000 active military personnel, including 107,000 conscript soldiers. In order to sustain an army this big, human welfare issues require significant care. However, with the current suicide rate in the military and the rising abuse reports, South Korea is facing internal threats. These internal issues could be of possible negative impact for the national defense of South Korea. This thesis looked at how the military environment and the military’s response on abuse and maladjustment issues allows for factors to occur which influence South Korean conscript soldiers to ideate and commit suicide. This was done by using Joiner's interpersonal psychology theory to analyze two recent suicide cases which have been reported by the media. It was found that the military environment in these cases allowed for all factors of the theory to develop. This in turn was linked to the suicide of the case subjects. The thesis also showed that the military's response and actions after the death of the soldiers were not in the favor of reflection and future prevention of such cases. This thesis has contributed to the understanding of conscript suicide in the South Korean military by analyzing the role of the internal military environment.Show less
Despite having a relatively small elderly population, South Korea's elderly poverty rate outranks that of all other countries with 43.8 percent of all elderly people living in poverty. Moreover,...Show moreDespite having a relatively small elderly population, South Korea's elderly poverty rate outranks that of all other countries with 43.8 percent of all elderly people living in poverty. Moreover, the Korean elderly are poorer than all other age groups. To make up for this inequality, one third of the elderly population stays active on the labour market. This study examines how changes in family dynamics, current social welfare programmes and pension policies explain this high elderly workforce participation rate. To do so, it uses secondary literature, analyses government reports and laws in addition to statistics published by databanks of the OECD and Statistics Korea, among others. In order to understand the importance of this analysis, the Korean case is brought into world context by comparing it with Japan and the Netherlands. This study found that Korea's current elderly support system is unbalanced and has not yet reached its full potential: the combination of shifting household structures and the immature pension system leaves the elderly with a weak safety net that fails to keep them from living below the poverty line.Show less
Overconsumption of alcohol is detrimental to one's health, and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, Korea has the highest amount...Show moreOverconsumption of alcohol is detrimental to one's health, and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, Korea has the highest amount of alcohol consumption per capita in all of Asia, and has notably high rates of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs). The neighbouring country of Japan is similar to Korea in numerous ways, but has significantly lower rates of consumption and AUDs. This poses the question in which ways Japan differs from Korea, and whether they tackle alcoholism in more effective ways. This thesis aims to find ways in which Korea could improve the current situation following the example of a similar country Therefore, both societies are compared by critically analysing secondary literature on factors that affect alcohol consumption: culture, age of onset, availability, affordability, mental health, religion, and restrictive measures. Results show that while both societies heavily emphasize alcohol consumption, Korea could learn from Japan's attention to mental health research and development, and wider variety of sobriety groups. However, any conclusive evidence is yet to be found. More extensive and longitudinal research on this subject is therefore necessary.Show less
In the last four years, South Korea exported more cosmetics to Europe than ever before. When thinking about the reasons the amount of export increased significantly more in the last couple of years...Show moreIn the last four years, South Korea exported more cosmetics to Europe than ever before. When thinking about the reasons the amount of export increased significantly more in the last couple of years, the most probable reason appears to be the Korean Wave. The Korean Wave, which has been an international sensation, has also reached Europe. In the form of music, movies, and dramas did the soft power of South Korea become more visible in some European countries and did it also lead to an increase in popularity over the years. With different primary sources regarding the Korean Wave and Korean cosmetics, this study attempts to discover whether there is a connection between the two variables.Show less
In May 2019, the South Korean government has agreed to implement the new ‘gaming disorder’ classification, as instated in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health...Show moreIn May 2019, the South Korean government has agreed to implement the new ‘gaming disorder’ classification, as instated in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) by the World Health Organization (WHO), into their own Korean Standard Classification of Diseases (KCD) within the next few years. The classification will change how game addiction will be treated in South Korea, in both a medical and societal sense, and will have an especially big impact on how mental illness is perceived. This thesis therefore asks the following question: What are the possible effects of the implementation of the World Health Organization’s classification of ‘game disorder’ into the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases on the stigma on mental illness in South Korean society? Through critical analysis of the relevant parts of the ICD and KCD, exploration of South Korea’s history with the WHO and critical discourse analysis of scholars’ opinions on the subject, this thesis has determined that South Koreans are currently unlikely to get treatment for mental illness due to (perceived) stigma and that the classification of gaming disorder can play an important part in alleviating said stigma if the government uses the opportunity to development anti-stigma programs.Show less
The legacies of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Summer Olympics have been widely researched before. They include the impact on domestic policies (among which policies that impacted the relationship with...Show moreThe legacies of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Summer Olympics have been widely researched before. They include the impact on domestic policies (among which policies that impacted the relationship with North Korea), national pride and collective memory. However, the political climate between the DPRK and the ROK during these 1988 Olympics could not be in starker contrast than during the Winter Olympics in 2018, which provided an opportunity for formal talks between the two countries. This raised the question of whether or not these events could lead to changes in ethnic nationalistic sentiments in ROK society. The aim of this study is to explore how ethnic nationalism discourses in South Korea have been influenced by hosting the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. As existing literature showed, ethnic nationalism is still used as an argument for unification. Based on this, it was hypothesized that if the wish for unification becomes stronger, notions of ethnic nationalism in South Korean society follow this pattern. Because the PyeongChang Winter Olympics were promoting an agenda of peace and reconciliation with the DPRK, it was expected that they would reignite the flame of ethnic nationalism in ROK society. Critical discourse analysis was used to distinguish whether there were any changes within ethnic nationalism discourses before and after the 2018 Winter Olympics. By comparing studies that captured notions of ethnic nationalism before and after February 2018, it became apparent that there were no clear breakthroughs in the ever-declining importance of ethnic nationalism in ROK society. Because this result is opposite to what is expected on the basis of existing literature, this thesis therefore puts into question the relevance of the current ethnic nationalism discourse paradigm.Show less
This thesis focuses on the implication of the film Jiseul as a medium of cultural memory of the Jeju 4.3 Uprising and justifies its arguments with an anlysis of the visual images and contextual...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the implication of the film Jiseul as a medium of cultural memory of the Jeju 4.3 Uprising and justifies its arguments with an anlysis of the visual images and contextual meaning in the film.Show less
