This thesis examines the role of Tokto/Dokdo in the creation and maintenance of South Korean nationalism, and the way in which Tokto narratives are created and disseminated in Korean society. It...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of Tokto/Dokdo in the creation and maintenance of South Korean nationalism, and the way in which Tokto narratives are created and disseminated in Korean society. It aims to answer the question: how is the Tokto/Takeshima conflict portrayed and communicated through South Korean Tokto-related children’s literature? Based on a critical discourse analysis of a selection of the most popular Tokto children’s literature, this thesis identifies a set pattern that characterizes Tokto children’s literature as a genre. Furthermore, this thesis challenges the modernist notion that nationalism is a top-down affair, as the analysis of Tokto children’s literature shows that nationalist sentiment stems from an interplay between governmental and civil efforts. In the case of Tokto children’s literature, that is the effort to promote and proclaim Tokto as a vital part of South Korean national identity. Lastly, this thesis argues that Tokto children’s literature reflects the agenda of Tokto activists, who seek to strengthen a particular notion of South Korean national identity that centres on the idea of Japan as continuous external threat.Show less
This thesis looks at the Park Chung Hee's legacy in the context of collective memory theory. After 40 years Park's legacy still lives on. This can partially be explained by collective memory theory...Show moreThis thesis looks at the Park Chung Hee's legacy in the context of collective memory theory. After 40 years Park's legacy still lives on. This can partially be explained by collective memory theory. Elements of collective memory theory can help us understand the continuing existence of Park's legacy. Yet the collective memory theory gives no guarantees for the future.Show less
Alcohol commercials are a universal phenomenon. In Asian countries such as South Korea however, given the cultural and societal emphasis on traditional gender roles, the way alcohol is sold and...Show moreAlcohol commercials are a universal phenomenon. In Asian countries such as South Korea however, given the cultural and societal emphasis on traditional gender roles, the way alcohol is sold and consumed differs from other countries. Commercials often show the consumer how the producers believe people will use their product in a natural environment or otherwise how they want the consumer to view this certain product. This paper, therefore, analyzes different alcohol commercials in order to answer the following research question. How are South Korean women portrayed in Korean alcohol commercials and how does this differ from cultural and societal reality? The gender differences that can be noticed in all of these researches contain an important message within them, which is that gender inequality in South Korea is still an ongoing issue. Through commercials in which these female actors are portrayed as if they are truly part of the Korean culture, there is a dissonance between the truth and what people want to believe. People want to believe that, as a woman in South Korea society, they can take part in any activity they want. Truthfully, however, they are portrayed through these commercials as a marketing object that sells and as someone who is in any case still the inferior half of society.Show less
Aan de hand van twee casestudies wordt gekeken naar identiteitsvorming en activisme bij leden van studentenverenigingen in Zuid-Korea die behoren tot een seksuele minderheid. Enerzijds ligt de...Show moreAan de hand van twee casestudies wordt gekeken naar identiteitsvorming en activisme bij leden van studentenverenigingen in Zuid-Korea die behoren tot een seksuele minderheid. Enerzijds ligt de focus op identiteitsvorming: Wat is het verband tussen LGBTQ+ netwerken en identiteitsvorming? De eerste casestudy is gericht op Dancing Queers, de LGBTQ+ studentenvereniging bij Sŏgang Universiteit. Aan de hand van diepte-interviews met clubleden wordt gekeken naar de verschillende functies en doelen van de vereniging. Anderzijds wordt er gekeken naar activisme bij de clubleden: Wat is het verband tussen LGBTQ+ netwerken en activisme? De tweede casestudy werpt een blik op de politieke functie van netwerken, en focust zich op de ‘Arrest Me Too’ beweging die werd geïnstigeerd door een lid van Dancing Queers. Dit naar aanleiding van artikel 92-6 uit het Militaire Wetboek, die stelt dat homoseksuele geslachtsgemeenschap tijdens legerdienst strafbaar is.Show less
This essay argues that due to victimization by Japan, Korea as a community created a national identity that differentiates itself from Japan, resulting in a collective memory of anti-Japanese...Show moreThis essay argues that due to victimization by Japan, Korea as a community created a national identity that differentiates itself from Japan, resulting in a collective memory of anti-Japanese sentiment. This competitive nature towards Japan comes together in the Dokdo Museum Seoul that enhances the collective memory of anti-Japanese sentiment and hinders improvement of Korean-Japanese relations. This essay goes into this as it analyzes how the Dokdo Museum Seoul constitutes the collective memory of anti-Japanese sentiment through the main research question: What is the role of the Dokdo Museum Seoul in reproducing the collective memory of anti-Japanese sentiment, placed within the territorial dispute between Japan and Korea over Tokto?Show less
This thesis examines traditional Korean elements and their use in the growing trend of K-pop. While the genre has grown into a worldwide phenomenon partly because of its easily identifiable musical...Show moreThis thesis examines traditional Korean elements and their use in the growing trend of K-pop. While the genre has grown into a worldwide phenomenon partly because of its easily identifiable musical elements, fashion and English lyrics, some K-pop artists have recently chosen to incorporate elements that do not fit the so-called "K-pop formula". By looking at two case studies that have strayed from the proven formula, this thesis aims to answer the question of what the purpose is in the use of traditional elements such as specific clothing and Folk music.Show less
The Chosǒn society was a patriarchal and hierarchical society. Marriage as a rule was to continue the family line and it was a wives duty to produce a heir. Values like chastity, calmness, and...Show moreThe Chosǒn society was a patriarchal and hierarchical society. Marriage as a rule was to continue the family line and it was a wives duty to produce a heir. Values like chastity, calmness, and women as ‘good wives and wise mothers’ were important. Interestingly, these rules apparently did not apply in the same manner to kisaeng, courtesans of Korea. Though being of the lowest status in the Chosǒn society, they were trained in arts and trained to uphold conversations with high ranking men. Kisaeng were not celebrated as mothers, they were known and appreciated for their sensual beauty and talent. Over the course of time, the way kisaeng were perceived changed considerably. Where kisaeng were once seen as talented and beautiful distractions for the Yangban, from the colonial period onwards, they became known as elite prostitutes. Considering the change in the perception of kisaeng, how are they represented in contemporary South-Korea? Sageuk are contemporary korean films set in a historical background, that sometimes portray kisaeng. A kisaeng often portrayed in such films is Hwang Chin’i. One of the most famous kisaeng during the Chosǒn period and still well-known to this day, even though not many historical records of Hwang Chin’i remain. Two films portraying Hwang Chin’i are analyzed namely,‘Hwang Chin’i’ directed by Bae Ch’angho from the year 1986 and ‘Hwang Chin’i’ by directed Chang Yun-hyǒn from 2007, to answer the question: What are the different ways of depicting the kisaeng Hwang Chin’i in Korean films from two different periods?Show less
Korea has been struggling with the wide-scale corruption issues since the democratization in 1987. Many presidents have been trying to improve the situation and implemented many anti-corruption...Show moreKorea has been struggling with the wide-scale corruption issues since the democratization in 1987. Many presidents have been trying to improve the situation and implemented many anti-corruption measures. However, the Korean government have been struggling to improve their policies and this is also reflected in international corruption assessments. The anti-corruption system which the Korean government has implemented has many loopholes and are therefore easy to evade. Many undermine the measures as many high-ranking public officials and chaebôls have consistently taken part in illicit transactions. Even when illicit activities are reported through the reporting system, the current legislations have not enough power to subject the offender to a corresponding punishment due to the lenient Korean Law system and power of connections to reduce any sentences to a minimum.Show less
Male objectification has been an overlooked topic in the Gender Studies. The aim of this study was to fill in a gap in the South Korean Gender Studies about male objectification in South Korean...Show moreMale objectification has been an overlooked topic in the Gender Studies. The aim of this study was to fill in a gap in the South Korean Gender Studies about male objectification in South Korean television commercials. The study examines the appearances of the male objectification depending on the audiences of the television commercials. Firstly, it shows the current debate going on in the Gender Studies about model objectification and how the study fits in this debate. Secondly, it cooperates frameworks such as Goffman’s Gender Advertisements to create a visual analysis. This visual analysis is being used to examine the appearances of the male objectification in television commercials. Additionally, the study debates whether the existing frameworks in the Gender Studies are applicable to measure the objectification in male models because these frameworks tend to focus on female objectification. It argues that the appearances of male objectification change depending on the audiences and that the frameworks being used in this study need to be revised in order to be up to date.Show less
The June 2018 Trump-Kim summit in Singapore was symbolically significant to both countries. This Thesis examines whether it and it immediate aftermath fulfill the criteria for a constructivist...Show moreThe June 2018 Trump-Kim summit in Singapore was symbolically significant to both countries. This Thesis examines whether it and it immediate aftermath fulfill the criteria for a constructivist approach.Show less
De Zuid-Koreaanse Nationale Inlichtingendienst heeft een notoire reputatie op het gebied van het beïnvloeden van de binnenlandse politiek in Zuid-Korea. Door middel van hervormingen die voortkwamen...Show moreDe Zuid-Koreaanse Nationale Inlichtingendienst heeft een notoire reputatie op het gebied van het beïnvloeden van de binnenlandse politiek in Zuid-Korea. Door middel van hervormingen die voortkwamen uit het transitieproces van een autoritair regime naar democratisering werd hier verandering in gebracht. Deze hervormingen hebben echter geen verdere politisering van inlichtingendienst kunnen voorkomen. Zo heeft de inlichtingendienst nog invloed kunnen uitoefen over de 2012 presidentiële verkiezingen in Zuid-Korea. Deze scriptie richt zich daarom op het beantwoorden van de volgende vragen: hoe de Zuid-Koreaanse nationale inlichtingendienst kon inmengen in de presidentiële verkiezingen van 2012. En waarom dit heeft kunnen gebeuren.Show less
In order to get a better understanding of the normalization process of plastic surgery, this paper examines the normalization of plastic surgery in South Korean modern day society through the...Show moreIn order to get a better understanding of the normalization process of plastic surgery, this paper examines the normalization of plastic surgery in South Korean modern day society through the analysis of plastic surgery TV shows.Show less
This research uses the television series SKY castle as a case study with the focus on trying to answer the question: How does Sky Castle discuss education fever as a byproduct of status...Show moreThis research uses the television series SKY castle as a case study with the focus on trying to answer the question: How does Sky Castle discuss education fever as a byproduct of status consciousness in Korean society? SKY is an acronym used to refer to the top three universities in Korea using the first letter of their names: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. The case study draws on Pierre Bourdieu’s distinction theory to show the impact that education has on status awareness in South Korea as portrayed in SKY Castle. Chapter 1, discusses this methodology and the theoretical framework of this paper and the choice for focusing on SKY Castle as a case study will be further argued. Chapter 2 focusses on the actual analysis of the television series SKY Castle. The findings of Chapter 2 are discussed in Chapter 3 by showing an overview and interpretation of these findings. Lastly, in Chapter 4 this paper gives a conclusion and discusses the limitations of this research and future research possibilities. Sky Castle can be seen as a dialogue with reality, highlighting specific social issues and can be seen as a way to open the discussion towards the current debate in Korea on the topic of status and education fever. The popularity and success of the television series imply that the subject with regard to the Korean educational fever and status consciousness, speak to the social concerns of the Korean viewers.Show less
