This study examines how the obsession with education affects the total fertility rate in South Korea. Among many factors, educational expenses weigh heavy when it comes to deciding to have another...Show moreThis study examines how the obsession with education affects the total fertility rate in South Korea. Among many factors, educational expenses weigh heavy when it comes to deciding to have another child. This study shows how education has been a means of social mobility throughout Korea’s history, how traces of this are still visible in contemporary South Korea, and how educational developments during the last century have caused private educational expenses to rise significantly. The results show that the societal preoccupation with status and education brings about excessive educational expenditures, causing parents to hold off on having a child or to give up on having another child completely, and thus lowering the total fertility rate.Show less
South Korea is seen globally as an example of efficient COVID-19 response. Yet, advocates of this “South Korean model” tend to focus on high technology with a short-termed securitisation...Show moreSouth Korea is seen globally as an example of efficient COVID-19 response. Yet, advocates of this “South Korean model” tend to focus on high technology with a short-termed securitisation perspective, and fail to appreciate the importance of the health reform process happening prior to the COVID-19 crisis. A significant number of health reforms took place between 2015 and 2020, aiming specifically at improving the Korean infectious disease response system. These reforms resulted from the failure of containing the Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus outbreak (MERS-CoV), which hit South Korea in 2015 and escalated dramatically due to poor crisis management and lack of an efficient infectious disease response system. This thesis will demonstrate that the health reform process between 2015 and 2020 was democratic and enabled South Korea to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.Show less
Climate change is the most pressing problem of our time and the transition towards a renewables-based economy is the only long-term solution. It is well established that offshore wind holds great...Show moreClimate change is the most pressing problem of our time and the transition towards a renewables-based economy is the only long-term solution. It is well established that offshore wind holds great promise in terms of providing energy capacity for East Asian nations that rely on the imports of fossil fuels. This study provides a comparative analysis of three East Asian nations to find what policies affect the successful deployment of offshore wind capacity. Several hypotheses, formed around influencing factors such as energy market liberalization, financial and quantitative incentive policies and siting procedures are formed and tested against offshore wind deployment data. The Most Similar Systems Designs method is employed to isolate the factors under examination and control for social, cultural, political, environmental and economic factors. The results provide insight into the effectiveness of policies across and within nations and reasons for the differences between nations.Show less
This thesis is concerned with the influence of nationalism, disneyization, and disneyfication on the representation of history and heritage in the Korean historical TV drama Mister Sunshine....Show moreThis thesis is concerned with the influence of nationalism, disneyization, and disneyfication on the representation of history and heritage in the Korean historical TV drama Mister Sunshine. Through an examination of the storyline, costumes, and historical accuracy this thesis has tested the different theories.Show less
South Korean women face structural challenges when participating in the labour force. As of today, female labour participation is at its highest point in recorded history, yet gender inequality...Show moreSouth Korean women face structural challenges when participating in the labour force. As of today, female labour participation is at its highest point in recorded history, yet gender inequality causes persistent disadvantages for women regarding opportunities and decision-making power. Building on existing work, this study aims to determine the structural challenges that contribute to an unequal position in the work environment for South Korean women. It includes a research survey among 55 South Korean working women who share their experiences and offers a new perspective to the current scholarly work written on the topic of gender (in)equality in the South Korean work environment.Show less
Interpreting sexism, misogyny and racism in the American military culture with regards to South Korean camptown prostitution and placing it within the context of the existing literature on this sex...Show moreInterpreting sexism, misogyny and racism in the American military culture with regards to South Korean camptown prostitution and placing it within the context of the existing literature on this sex industry, this research concludes that the cultural factors of the military play a highly relevant role in the South Korean sex industry. The research includes the recent development of foreign women working, many of whom involuntarily so, in the camptown sex industry, and moreover, the role that the American military culture plays as a contributing factor to the prostitution.Show less
The Korean government became highly concerned for the danger of IGD and has taken many preventive and curative actions to protect its youth as it is especially the young Koreans that are vulnerable...Show moreThe Korean government became highly concerned for the danger of IGD and has taken many preventive and curative actions to protect its youth as it is especially the young Koreans that are vulnerable to IGD compared to other age-groups. The main intervention method in Korea for curing IGD is using boot camp clinics. Outside Korea using boot camp for IGD is something unheard-of as in most countries boot camp is used as a correctional facility where juvenile delinquents are forced to endure a rigorous routine or intensive training program. But in Korea this is a popularly used method for handling game addictions of its youth. At these camps children follow rigorous training programs to deal with their obsessive online gaming. In worldwide media, these camps have become a topic of much discussion and many have visited the camps to document the program and interview the participants, counsellors and instructors. Outside Korea many do not understand why Koreans use boot camp to cure IGD. This paper will therefore contribute in the research of intervention methods by giving an explanation why Korea uses boot camp for IGD.Show less
Lookism has started to become manifested throughout the South Korean society which has led to the obsession of Koreans with the achievement of beauty, even to such extremes that cosmetic surgery is...Show moreLookism has started to become manifested throughout the South Korean society which has led to the obsession of Koreans with the achievement of beauty, even to such extremes that cosmetic surgery is no longer a taboo and often even promoted to the people. Especially in the music industry the pressures to have to fit the Korean ideal beauty standard is extremely high. Korean idols are expected to have attractive appearances, as they are not only seen as role models for their fans; it will increase the success they will have in their musical career and will thus lead to a more promising future. Despite many people believing that this beauty obsession is just part of Korean culture, the critiques against the idea of lookism are rising. With comedy film being a means through which social and cultural critiques are often expressed, this thesis aims to analyze lookism in the context of South Korea and its music industry by arguing how the Korean film comedy 200 Pounds of Beauty uses its comedy genre to criticize lookism in South Korea.Show less
In the course of my thesis I will explore ideas surrounding the ownership and meaning of tradition and national identity from the perspective of the nation and the community, in the specific...Show moreIn the course of my thesis I will explore ideas surrounding the ownership and meaning of tradition and national identity from the perspective of the nation and the community, in the specific context of makkŏlli culture in South Korea. Paying particular attention to the works of Eric Hobsbawm, Stephen Vslatos, Dean MacCannel, and Richard Sennet, I seek to illuminate the ways in which the nation and community speak to one another and to a larger, global audience through cultural expression and a renegotiation of national tradition. The recent revival of interest in makkŏlli began with small communities of brewers and has expanded through craft movements leading to a modern re-invention of the practice. However, the beverage only gained attention domestically after it gained popularity abroad in 2009. As governing elites have become aware of the economic power embedded in associating national identity with a particular ‘brand’, certain aspects of popular or traditional culture have been mobilized to serve this end. In the process we encounter a double dynamic between small community actors and larger political entities both interested in the same objects, in this case makkŏlli — yet their motivations and interests speak to entirely different, and often contradictory concerns.Show less
