This thesis aimed to provide a critical review on gender bias within the structural analysis method of Vladimir Propp, through the analysis of the Korean fairy tale of Changhwa and Hongnyon
This thesis seeks to answer the following research question: “To what extent can the comfort women be considered the forerunners of the #MeToo movement?”. For this, I used qualitative data to...Show moreThis thesis seeks to answer the following research question: “To what extent can the comfort women be considered the forerunners of the #MeToo movement?”. For this, I used qualitative data to support my thesis statement. This qualitative data is secondary data, meaning I extracted information that was collected by other researchers from their research papers, as opposed to new, primary data. In order to gain a better insight in the workings of both the comfort women issue and the #MeToo movement, I discuss events connected to both the comfort women issue and the #MeToo movement that emerged before, during and after the issues became known in Korean society. By comparing, I have found that there are a significant amount of similarities between the two issues. First, i found that both issues were not completely new to the public, and were just not spoken about often. Adding to this, in both situations, the women who spoke up first had been quiet about theit abuse for a long time. Lastly, it is seen that support for the victims in both cases was built from grassroots organizations, and these organizations pressured the government into taking action. By analyzing how both the comfort women issue and the #MeToo movement have progressed over the years, I can confirm the theory that at its core, the comfort women could very well be considered the forerunners of the #MeToo movement.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
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
In this thesis, I have analyzed the meaning of family, mother(hood), and mothering as depicted in Gong Ji-young’s novel My Happy Home (chŭlgŏun naŭi chip). The analysis of this novel is based on...Show moreIn this thesis, I have analyzed the meaning of family, mother(hood), and mothering as depicted in Gong Ji-young’s novel My Happy Home (chŭlgŏun naŭi chip). The analysis of this novel is based on various literature on the concepts of household, family, mother(hood), single motherhood, and types of mothering, in addition to a discussion of the situation of South Korean families and mothers. I discuss the various methods Gong uses to indicate how family, mother(hood), and mothering are conceptualized by society and how she herself defines these concepts. The analysis indicates a level of rejection, but also agreement with society’s view on these concepts and Gong’s own interpretation.Show less
This thesis closely examines the North Korean film Hong Kildong, which is a film adaptation from 1986, based on the tale of Hong Kildong. It then compares the film version with a pre-modern...Show moreThis thesis closely examines the North Korean film Hong Kildong, which is a film adaptation from 1986, based on the tale of Hong Kildong. It then compares the film version with a pre-modern literary version of Hong Kildong Chŏn. The research field of North Korean cinema lacked a nuanced deconstruction of the ideological message conveyed in Hong Kildong. Consideration of the background motifs and themes was found to be generally overlooked. This thesis aims to provide for this lack. By analyzing the North Korean film version, while using the Confucian Five Moral Relationships and virtues as a yardstick, this thesis identified how close the story followed or deviated from the Confucian ethics. The comparison between Hong Kildong (film) and Hong Kildong Chŏn (pre-modern fiction) pointed out what (ideological) changes had been made, changes mostly found in the character traits and the development of the storyline towards the end of each story, and helped to identify Juche ideological elements. Through the hypothesis, “Hong Kildong reflects the same ideological changes as have been made to create the yunsaek type kodae sosŏl,” I was able to lend credit to the implications that come with the ideological changes I detected, since they then do not apply merely to this film. My research results confirmed that the hypothesis was indeed correct. Art theory in North Korea has taken on a unified form which is broadly applied to every artistic activity, including both film and literary adaptations of pre-modern works of fiction. The same ideological development can be discerned in both types of adaptation. The central theme, or “seed,” of Hong Kildong can be defined as the revolutionary transformation from the old, corrupt Chosŏn society to the new, liberated Chosŏn, which is promised to those who move towards the sun, which is symbolism for Kim Il-Sung and his Juche thought. Elements that suggest ideas contrary to Juche ideology were consistently found within the realm of Confucian thought. Confucian thought however was not condoned, nor completely condemned in the film, but rather improved to make a smooth transformation to Juche ideology possible. This suggests that Confucian thought remains, however limited, a component in the North Korean people’s belief system. However, hidden elements that reflect anti-Juche or anti-Party Line thoughts, which might have been an influence of Shin Sang-Ok’s own ideas, could not be found.Show less
Due to the recent influx of foreigners into South Korea, its once very much homogeneous society is now becoming more diverse. The presence of these foreigners, who bring with them their own customs...Show moreDue to the recent influx of foreigners into South Korea, its once very much homogeneous society is now becoming more diverse. The presence of these foreigners, who bring with them their own customs and attitudes, has brought about the need for the rethinking of what it means to be a Korean citizen. One powerful way of shaping and changing society's views on national identity is through multicultural discourse in the national school curriculum. In this thesis I will review what changes the South Korean government has made tot the national curriculum, in order to broaden the meaning of South Korean national identity and accommodate the foreigners into society.Show less
The thesis argues that in the event of another DPRK famine, an argument under the principles of The Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) for international intervention can be made.
In Zuid-Korea lijkt men extreem veel waarde te hechten aan het uiterlijk. Zoveel zelfs dat het uiterlijk doorslaggevend kan zijn op de arbeidsmarkt. Als gevolg is plastische chirurgie een...Show moreIn Zuid-Korea lijkt men extreem veel waarde te hechten aan het uiterlijk. Zoveel zelfs dat het uiterlijk doorslaggevend kan zijn op de arbeidsmarkt. Als gevolg is plastische chirurgie een wijdverspreid verschijnsel. De obsessie met schoonheid en plastische chirurgie in Zuid-Korea wordt in deze scriptie op basis van al bestaande bronnen geanalyseerd.Show less
