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
In recent years, China's economic diplomacy has received more attention in the field of International Relations. Some scholars argue that China uses its economic diplomacy in a coercive way, while...Show moreIn recent years, China's economic diplomacy has received more attention in the field of International Relations. Some scholars argue that China uses its economic diplomacy in a coercive way, while other scholars argue against this notion. This thesis discusses China's economic diplomacy with its research question: "What drives China’s economic diplomacy in the case of political disputes in East-Asia?". The thesis examines two disputes between China and its neighbouring countries, Japan and South Korea, in order to research how China employs its economic power. The research is based on three factors that influence how China creates its economic diplomacy; national sentiment, history of the bilateral relations, and bilateral trade. Using process-tracing, the thesis examines these three factors of the THAAD dispute with South Korea and the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute with Japan. The aim of the thesis is to demonstrate that, while national sentiment, previous bilateral relations, and bilateral trade influence China's economic diplomacy, these factors do not influence China’s decision-making equally. The thesis concludes that national sentiment influences the Chinese government the most to use its economic diplomacy coercively.Show less
South Korea is currently experiencing a significant housing problem with skyrocketing housing prices. This study aims to find out how the housing insecurity felt by many South Korean citizens...Show moreSouth Korea is currently experiencing a significant housing problem with skyrocketing housing prices. This study aims to find out how the housing insecurity felt by many South Korean citizens affects young adults in particular in their process of moving out of their parental home. In this context housing insecurity is defined as the uncertainty people feel when looking for housing due to the high housing prices and low availability. To test the hypothesis that the housing insecurity is causing young adults to delay their move out of their parents house an online questionnaire has been distributed to a number of South Korean young adults. The results show that the housing price has in fact influenced the participants to stay with their parents longer. However, the research has also proven that South Korean young adults do not feel the need to move out as intensely as initially thought. This shows that while the housing insecurity does have an effect on the moving out process it cannot be pointed at as the sole cause. Improvements in the housing quality, price and location need to be made to prevent more young adults from delaying their move to independent living.Show less
While the ancient kingdom of Koguryŏ is commonly understood to be one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, over the course of the 20th century China has disputed Korea’s claim over Koguryŏ history and...Show moreWhile the ancient kingdom of Koguryŏ is commonly understood to be one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, over the course of the 20th century China has disputed Korea’s claim over Koguryŏ history and heritage. This paper argues that China, North Korea and South Korea are using the UNESCO World Heritage List to gain the upper hand in the dispute. This paper subsequently asks the question of "How has the UNESCO World Heritage List been used to prove ownership over the ancient cultural heritage of Koguryŏ/Gaogouli by China and Korea since the 20th century?” Using Discourse Analysis as well as Smith’s Authorized Heritage Discourse, the ongoing debate over Koguryŏ is analyzed. This paper also questions UNESCO's role in international disputes over the ownership of heritage and argues that the UNESCO World Heritage List is able to be used by countries for benefits other than the preservation of heritage. The main argument in this paper is that UNESCO's World Heritage List is used as a stage on which ownership over the ancient Koguryŏ/Gaogouli kingdom is publically proclaimed due to UNESCO’s international status as well as other benefits that come from a place on the World Heritage List.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
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 takes the THAAD incident as a case study to explore the influence of political factors on the mass consumption of Korean Popular Culture in China.
Feminist movements have existed since the late 19th century but the most recent wave of feminism has been particularly significant in South Korea. In 2018 numerous women came forward with...Show moreFeminist movements have existed since the late 19th century but the most recent wave of feminism has been particularly significant in South Korea. In 2018 numerous women came forward with allegations of sexual violence against people in power under the MeToo movement. This movement was popularized in the United States on social media and soon reached other parts of the world where it gave marginalized women a voice. The movement gained momentum in South Korea after prosecutor Seo Ji-hyeon opened up about sexual harassment allegations against a high-level prosecutor and spoke of pressure by state bodies to keep silent. The MeToo movement brought sexual violence issues from the private sphere to the public sphere and showed women that the country’s patriarchal system is unacceptable. In the following years there was a rise in gendered activism such as the “Escape the Corset” movement, that rejected South Korea’s rigid beauty standards, and anti-digital sex crime movement. This paper seeks to answer, “how successful has gendered activism been in South Korea since 2018?” The reason 2018 has been selected as starting point for the thesis is due to the start of MeToo movement that particular year. This topic will be analyzed by use of feminist theory due to it being one of the rising frameworks that is growing in importance and relevance. Feminist theory is focused on gender inequality and addresses many issues that the Korean women challenged in their movements. Along with feminist theory, the history of gendered movements is crucial when discussing feminist movements in South Korea and will therefore be examined in the literature review. To further establish the definition of success of contemporary gendered movements, the historical background of gendered movements in South Korea will be explored. By analyzing the history of gendered movements in South Korea dating back to the 1980s up to now, this chapter defines success and how success of feminist movements has been determined in the past. These case studies will be analyzed through a feminist lens to ascertain the degree to which they have been successfulShow less
Female marriage migrants have been a topic of academic interest due to their influence on the makeup of South Korean society for quite a while. Associated research ranges from the mental health of...Show moreFemale marriage migrants have been a topic of academic interest due to their influence on the makeup of South Korean society for quite a while. Associated research ranges from the mental health of these migrant women to multicultural education to accommodate this change and anything and everything in between. Studies inevitably mention how the emphasis on their role as wife and mother and reference to their reproductive labour is problematic. However, few studies consider how their specific situation on this spectrum influences their reproductive rights beyond simply pointing this out. Not acknowledging this more meaningfully leads to a gap in research and knowledge as reproductive rights are an important topic in the discourse on women’s rights in general and as such is inextricably linked with the fight for gender equality. Additionally, this blind spot is remarkable as the reason for female marriage migrants joining Korean families and households is foremost their reproductive labour as wives and daughters-in-law, with goes hand in hand with the explicit expectation of them becoming mothers of Korean children. Moreover, in the Korean context, them obtaining formal rights and social acceptance mostly depends on their reproductive labour and their (capability of) motherhood. The aim of this thesis is to take a closer look at this gap and why it is there. I will discuss how reproductive rights are referred to in relation to female marriage migrants, how their specific situation in Korea complicating their reproductive rights is discussed in related research, and what this means for their position as women in Korea. In this thesis I will focus my attention on how the expectation of reproductive labour and motherhood entangles with notions of citizenship and acceptance, combined with an overview of the discussion on human rights protection and how this includes reproductive rights. Ultimately, I aim to highlight an area of interest that will contribute to illuminating the complexity of the situation of marriage migrants and might assist in closing the gap that exists between the perspectives on female marriage migrants in research on the one hand, and the lack of targeted research considering their reproductive rights on the other. More specifically, the following questions will guide this research: Why are reproductive rights not included substantially in the debate regarding female marriage migrants in Korea, and how does marriage migration complicate the reproductive rights of these migrant women? Are reproductive rights included in the expectation of reproductive labour that is placed on female marriage migrants? What is the effect of this expectation on their position as women in Korea?Show less
This paper examines South Korea’s approach towards foreign labour immigrants throughout the past 30 years and the current situation of balancing a labour shortage and South Korea’s strong sense of...Show moreThis paper examines South Korea’s approach towards foreign labour immigrants throughout the past 30 years and the current situation of balancing a labour shortage and South Korea’s strong sense of ethnic nationalism. Analysing the available information on Korea’s visa policies in relation to foreign labour immigrants has found various issues with the lacking quantity and datedness of the available information. A further analysis on the integration of long-term foreign residents in regards the labour shortage in 3-D job sectors has led to the conclusion that Korea has various means to better the integration process and prevent cultural difference-based conflict, but does not utilise it to its full extent when it comes to the country’s long-term foreign residents.Show less
This thesis explores the ongoing international dispute between Japan and South Korea concerning the issue of WWII sex-slaves known as ‘comfort women’. The main focus lies on the question how...Show moreThis thesis explores the ongoing international dispute between Japan and South Korea concerning the issue of WWII sex-slaves known as ‘comfort women’. The main focus lies on the question how Japanese official apologies for this issue contribute to the successful reconciliation between South Korea and Japan. By using soft power theory to look at the transmission, context and reception of three major Japanese apologies from the 1990s until today, this thesis finds that, Japanese national apologies do not contribute to successful postwar reconciliation. Due to a mismatch between Japanese presentation, compensation and South Korean expectation, the apologies do not lead towards soft power. Domestic political context only further amplifies the gap between transmission and reception, while international pressure does not manage to bridge the gap either. Therefore, this thesis argues that current Japanese apologies for the issue known as the ‘comfort women issue’ do not positively contribute towards successful reconciliation. The potential that future apologies can contribute however, cannot be ruled out.Show less
This paper looks at the representation of the comfort women dispute between South Korea and Japan in popular culture. Through the lens of popular culture, the representation of the dispute is...Show moreThis paper looks at the representation of the comfort women dispute between South Korea and Japan in popular culture. Through the lens of popular culture, the representation of the dispute is analysed and it is discussed how this influences the bilateral relationship between South Korea and Japan.Show less
