Seoul has continuously been reshaped by nation-building strategies that project the image of the nation through urban space. From the 1970s onwards, this image has drastically changed by rapid...Show moreSeoul has continuously been reshaped by nation-building strategies that project the image of the nation through urban space. From the 1970s onwards, this image has drastically changed by rapid industrialization and the creation of a ‘national heritage’ canon under the Park Chung Hee government. Subsequent governments have invested in the 'politics of memory' to strengthen their regimes: complete urban compounds were demolished and replaced by monuments, museums, public plazas, and impressive urban projects that have recently turned Seoul into a 'soft’, playful and global city. However, current Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon has shifted his focus on urban revitalization instead of demolition. His ‘Seoul Future Heritage Program’, in which ‘Industrial Heritage’ plays a crucial role, reflects the approach of ‘heritagization’, the creation of heritage, to revitalize decaying structures in the city. Seoullo 7017, a deteriorating traffic overpass turned into a green walkway, and Again Sewoon, an old arcade ‘revived’ by inviting startups and creative events, were elevated as ‘Industrial Heritage’ and imagined alongside the nation’s ‘traditional’ heritage in a naturalized narrative portraying the nation’s culture and progress. Both projects were designed to attract daily citizen activity and engagement with their heritage value through information signs, public campaigns, and pedestrian accessibility. Altogether, Mayor Park’s policy shows a crucial shift in attention towards experiential heritage, in which industrial architecture is firmly placed within the national heritage narrative.Show less
This thesis compares the gender dynamics of romantic comedies in both North and South Korean cinema. The genre is a relatively recent development in both countries and as is the general tendency,...Show moreThis thesis compares the gender dynamics of romantic comedies in both North and South Korean cinema. The genre is a relatively recent development in both countries and as is the general tendency, also in the Korean case(s) confirms the existing social hierarchies and gender biases. This thesis finds that both North and South Korean cinema uphold patriarchal hegemony, despite the very different socio-political context within which these films are created.Show less
This thesis examines the development of South Korea's multiculturalism discourse, specifically with regards to multicultural families. To establish how the multicultural discourse developed in a...Show moreThis thesis examines the development of South Korea's multiculturalism discourse, specifically with regards to multicultural families. To establish how the multicultural discourse developed in a local context in the 2010s, a reality TV program, Global Family's Life in Korea, will be analyzed. The thesis will answer the question of how the reality genre, particularly the case of Global Family's Life in Korea, is significant in how the Korean multiculturalism discourse is currently developing.Show less
South Korea had started the official commemoration of certain parts of the Japanese occupation period as early as 1949, four year after the liberation of 1945. While certain parts of the occupation...Show moreSouth Korea had started the official commemoration of certain parts of the Japanese occupation period as early as 1949, four year after the liberation of 1945. While certain parts of the occupation period are commemorated, others are left out. In order to gain insight with regard to how the topic of the occupation period is generally portrayed in South Korea, the author has researched how the Japanese occupation period is presented in South Korean museums specifically by using three case studies: the Seoul Museum of History, the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History and Seodaemun Prison History Hall. Within these museums the author specifically focused on the information panels that these museums displayed in their exhibitions, as well as information presented in the museums’ brochures and official websites. In examining these three collections, with a specific focus on the display of ‘text’, the author attempts to answer the question: “What can the portrayal of texts included in museum exhibitions on the occupation period teach us about the way this period is presented in South Korea?”Show less
South Korea is seen as a prime example of an innovative economy and has been listed as the most innovative economy for two years in a row by the Bloomberg innovation index. Although the growth of...Show moreSouth Korea is seen as a prime example of an innovative economy and has been listed as the most innovative economy for two years in a row by the Bloomberg innovation index. Although the growth of the South Korean innovative economy is exemplary, South Korea’s history of economic growth, in the innovative sector as well, has led to structural difficulties for a continued growth. This thesis will discuss how South Korea’s innovative economy came about under the National Innovation System. The argument will progress that, although the National Innovation System has driven South Korean innovative economic growth, South Korea would now profit from a Knowledge-Based Economy.Show less
Abstract In the recent years Japanese pop culture has become an essential medium in the nation-branding strategy “Cool Japan”. The government has invested in Cool Japan especially in the Asian...Show moreAbstract In the recent years Japanese pop culture has become an essential medium in the nation-branding strategy “Cool Japan”. The government has invested in Cool Japan especially in the Asian region as there are still lingering tensions over Japan’s imperial past. This thesis explores how popular culture is used in nation-branding strategy in two countries that were occupied by Japan during the Second World War, Indonesia and South-Korea. How Japan implements nation-branding in South Korea and Indonesia and whether Japan uses a specific approach with consideration to historical memory and if a pattern can be distinguished is still under-examined, and therefore wishes to contribute to this discussion. This research uses policy analysis to assess the Cool Japan policy approach in South Korea and Indonesia. As Cool Japan is largely reliant on soft power, this study also tests Joseph S. Nye’s theory of soft power as a general theory applicable to Japan. My findings demonstrate that the ideal conditions for nation-branding strategy to work, depend on how the countries in question (South Korea and Indonesia) view the country that implements nation-branding(Japan). Therefore,Cool Japan nation-branding can only succeed in countries that have a relatively positive image of Japan.Show less
In Japan, public attitudes towards loanwords are not necessarily positive. However, the country does not have a language regulating governmental body that makes a great effort to translate the...Show moreIn Japan, public attitudes towards loanwords are not necessarily positive. However, the country does not have a language regulating governmental body that makes a great effort to translate the continuously growing amount of western terminology into Japanese. This seeming inconsistency can be attributed to a combination of circumstances. Firstly, those undesirable outlooks towards loanwords have not necessarily formed a trigger for language policy in Japan. Secondly, language policy in Japan has had a clear emphasis on practical matters (e.g. communication) in recent decades and is seldom ideology-based. Thirdly, the current situation in Japan becomes clearer from the perspective of its history, geography, law and the linguistics of its language.Show less
South Korea still differentiates itself from many democracies in that it retains the death penalty. Thus, the research question guiding this thesis is the following: Why has South Korea still not...Show moreSouth Korea still differentiates itself from many democracies in that it retains the death penalty. Thus, the research question guiding this thesis is the following: Why has South Korea still not abolished capital punishment? Using discourse analysis, I examine the current state of the capital punishment issue and the factors prolonging retention in recent context. I suggest that political elites’ passive attitude and reliance on common retentionist arguments—public opinion, deterrence and retribution—can be regarded as the primary reason for the failure to abolish in recent years.Show less
Park Geun-hye, the daughter of South Korea's former president Park Chung-hee, won the presidential elections of 2012 with the majority of the votes. December 2016 she was impeached from her...Show morePark Geun-hye, the daughter of South Korea's former president Park Chung-hee, won the presidential elections of 2012 with the majority of the votes. December 2016 she was impeached from her position as president, and her biggest rival from the 2012 elections, Moon Jae-in, went on to win the 2017 elections by a landslide. This thesis aims to provide an insight on the generational differences in the presidential elections of 2007, 2012, and 2017 by using public opinion surveys and election polls. This thesis finds that a generation gap is highly present in South Korea. In presidential elections older age cohorts are generally on the conservative side, however, younger age cohorts are neither conservative nor progressive. Instead, they should be labelled as swing voters. Whether this will change in the future due to the life-cycle effect is something that needs to be studied further.Show less
This BA thesis researches the representation of three Western TV personalities in South Korea through critical discourse analysis of four recent popular Korean TV programs starring foreigners. It...Show moreThis BA thesis researches the representation of three Western TV personalities in South Korea through critical discourse analysis of four recent popular Korean TV programs starring foreigners. It examines how the Korean media creates images of Western expats and how these images are adopted in other programs to fit their discourses. This research argues that the Korean media intends to convey positive discourses of multiculturalism in which notions of friendship and hospitality are central by adapting the images of Tyler Rasch (United States), Daniel Lindemann (Germany) and Alberto Mondi (Italy). It criticizes the Korean media for its lack of diversity in its recent surge of programs featuring foreigners. Even though programs featuring foreigners are becoming more popular and familiar among its Korean audience, this research argues that they are Eurocentric by illustrating how the media uses images of Western expats.Show less
Major debates surrounding contemporary popular culture is centered on the idea that female representation in popular media is reduced to stereotypical portrayals of gender roles. This is also known...Show moreMajor debates surrounding contemporary popular culture is centered on the idea that female representation in popular media is reduced to stereotypical portrayals of gender roles. This is also known as the male gaze, which illustrates the world from a male perspective.Subsequently, the notion of women as spectators and audience is neglected. The South Korean music industry is no stranger to this. As most K-pop girl groups are targeted at a male audience, studies concerning Korean girl group representation primarily focuses on the influence of the male gaze. This thesis purposes to analyze K-pop girl group music videos from a female gaze, which represents female artists from a female point of view. Subsequently, the female gaze provides a sense of empowerment as women are not objectified, instead, the woman is represented as an active player. As Girls’ Generation has a huge international female following, this thesis aims to explore how the female gaze plays a role in representing female empowerment in Girls’ Generation’s music videos.Show less
This thesis focuses on the way nationalism has influenced the development of heritage politics in South Korea during the presidency of Park Chŏng Hŭi, Kim Yŏng Sam, and Lee Myŭng Bak, and how...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the way nationalism has influenced the development of heritage politics in South Korea during the presidency of Park Chŏng Hŭi, Kim Yŏng Sam, and Lee Myŭng Bak, and how nationalism in heritage politics has affected the Kyŏngbok palace.Show less
In deze scriptie wordt de 28 december 2015 akkoord omtrent troostmeisjes tussen Japan en Zuid-Korea geanalyseerd aan de hand van Japanse krantenartikelen.
This thesis investigates how sociocultural factors influence Koreans’ preference for alternative services instead of professional biomedical mental health services for disorders such as depression...Show moreThis thesis investigates how sociocultural factors influence Koreans’ preference for alternative services instead of professional biomedical mental health services for disorders such as depression and anxiety in present-day South Korea. The starting point of enquiry is the claim that there are low biomedical mental health service utilization rates and the suggestion that people may prefer informal services over institutionalized, psychological care. This research investigates the possible conditions for this disparity, and the historical, socio-cultural reasons that may undergird such differential access. On the basis of a public discourse analysis, this thesis argues that a possible reason for this disparity could be that the access of professional services may be more stigmatized than alternative services. Due to a competitive landscape of possible alternatives, Koreans have a variety of options consisting of shamans, fortune tellers and pastors to choose from. Consequently, the following chapter shifts attention to the pull factors of shamanic ritual practices as a possible alternative for professional mental health care. This research suggests that as a result of a relatively more cultural sensitive approach, the flexibility of the shamanic ritual of kut furnishes feelings of reassurance, joy and unity for the client by providing means to individualize the ritual through language and materialization and a certain amount of playfulness.Show less
This research answers the question: “How did sex work regulation develop in South Korea and what are the effects of the current regulation on sex workers in South Korea?” The goal is to show that...Show moreThis research answers the question: “How did sex work regulation develop in South Korea and what are the effects of the current regulation on sex workers in South Korea?” The goal is to show that sex work in (South) Korea is not a recent phenomenon and that the current practice of criminalising sex work has negative consequences for sex workers. I explain why the oppression and empowerment paradigm fail to account for the complexities of the sex industry. In this thesis I embrace Ronald Weitzer’s polymorphous paradigm, which recognises the diversity of variables in the sex industry that is necessary to effectively analyse sex work in South Korea. Using Weitzer’s pillars for a “best practise” of sex work (visibility, eligibility, health, rights and safety) I analyse the situation of three different kinds of sex workers: female indoor sex workers, male indoor sex workers and Bacchus ladies. The results of this analysis show that criminalization of sex workers in South Korea does little to improve their living conditions and can create life-threatening stations. In conclusion, I opt for decriminalisation of sex workers in South Korea and emphasise the importance of involvement of sex workers in policy making and research.Show less
