• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.483-490
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• 2020

This study aims to construct an ecological community and lay the foundation for sustainable development in the Korean Peninsula by promoting cooperation between the South and North Korea in the non-political and no-military natural environment sector under the rapidly changing inter-Korean relations. It analyzed South Korea's aid and international cooperation projects in natural environmental sectors in North Korea and examined North Korea's national plan and the cooperation projects that North Korea proposed to the international community to identify potential cooperation projects. It selected 15 potential cooperation projects and 6 crucial factors to be considered in prioritizing the projects through case studies and the first expert survey (five persons). The six crucial factors were i) urgency, ⅱ) linkage between North and South Korea (ecological community in the Korean Peninsula), ⅲ) contribution to sustainable development (prosperity), i) North Korea's acceptability, ⅴ) cooperation conditions and budget, and ⅵ) project sustainability. The second expert survey (14 persons) focused on prioritizing the 15 potential inter-Korean cooperation projects in line with six crucial factors. The 15 potential inter-Korean cooperation projects in the natural environment were comprehensively reviewed and scored based on the six crucial factors. The resulting priority projects were identified as follow: i) Mt. Seorak - Mt. Keumgang International Peace Park, ⅱ) support and cooperation for agro-forestry, ⅲ) joint conservation projects for internationally important migratory birds (such as Black-faced Spoonbills and Cranes), iv) inter-Korean ecotourism linkage and promotion, and ⅴ) establishment of integrated information system on leading ecosystems and biodiversity in the Korean Peninsula. The priority cooperation projects presented in this study are based on the perception of experts engaged in inter-Korean natural environmental cooperation in consideration of existing cooperation cases and conditions. For the actual implementation of these potential projects, a systematic approach, including the formation of consensus between North and South Koreas and the creation of a cooperative network with suitable partners suitable for each project's characteristics, would be needed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Child Welfare
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• no.54
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• pp.1-44
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• 2016

Using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child(UNCRC) as a frame of reference, this study examined South and North Korean children's rights as reported in the UNCRC and the pattern of changes in the reports depending on the period in which the reports were written. For this purpose, we reviewed Article 1 of the Convention to see what age range the South and North Korean governments, respectively, specify to define a child. We also analyzed the method and attitude of how each Korean government acknowledges the rights of children in the four general principles of the Convention("non-discrimination", "the best interests of the child", "the right to life, survival, and development" and "respect for the views of the child"). The results showed that there was asymmetric content between South and North Korea in the four general principles of the Convention. Both South and North Korea lack a sense of respect for the views of children. There were also differences in the rights of children depending on the distinct characteristics of each Korea. In South Korea, it is important to guarantee the rights of multicultural children and provide a plan for child safety. On the other hand, North Korea has emphasized that they provide the necessities of life and free education to children. Both Koreas have continuously submitted their reports and showed improvement in understanding the rights of children in each report. We conclude that it is essential for South and North Korea to build common ground in their respective contents on children and to establish a foundation of normative standards in the path to prepare for reunification. Moreover, we also conclude that South and North Korea should work collaboratively to reach mutual consent to achieve these goals.

• Water for future
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.203-214
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• 1996

Quantifying water balance components is crucial to understanding the basic hydrology and hydrochemistry. An importance of water balance has been suggested in order to grasp actual condition of water resources and environmental changes including climatic changes. The present paper proposes an evaluation method of the water balance components based on vegetation monitoring from remote sensing data. In this study, evapotranspiration model adopts a directmethod by using NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) calculated from NOAA/AVHRR data and the detailed description of water balance by using the evapotranspiration in all over the Korean Peninsula. Areal distribution data sets of evapotranspiration in all over the Korean Peninsula. Areal distribution data sets of evapotranspiration, runoff ratio, water surplus and deficit are produced using NDVI and simplified water balance model. This method enables to discuss the hydrological problems for North Korea where enough meteorological and hydrological data are unavailable.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.64-73
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• 1999

We performed a study to understand the dietary situation in North Korea and to compare the difference between the North and the South. Two hundred North Korean defectors from the North since 1990 participated in this survey. Information was collected from December, 1997 to February, 1998 by mailing pre-tested questionnaires, which had been confirmed by 10 previous interviewers. The final data from 157 defectors(107 male and 33 female with 17 unidentified gender) were analyzed. We found that (1) North Koreans are lower in height, weight and BMI than South Koreans, (2) The North Korean diet is very simple and monotonous. It is limited to their local and unprocessed foods and dishes, which is far from the trend of globalization and readiness. (3) On the other hand, in the North, the government control on foods diminished because food shortage leads to free market activity where housewives manage their own foodservices, and to accelate their eating-out behaviors. (4) Profound differences between the South and the North in dietary life are noticed by the defectors as English words and Korean words. Efforts to understand and learn about each other is necessary before not too late.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.103 no.4
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• pp.646-654
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to draw policy implications for the development and expansion of Korea's forest ODA through investigating the perceptions of stakeholder on the fields that contributed the development of forestry in Korea and would have competitiveness in developing countries and priority fields for Korea's forest ODA. For this, the survey was conducted for 248 subjects from the general and expert stakeholder groups. Chi-square test in cross analysis, independent sample t-test, ANOVA and Duncan test were conducted to compare the difference of perceptions by group. The whole general and expert groups consider that 'forest conservation and rehabilitation' contributed to the development of Korea's forestry most and consider its global competitiveness most high. Comparing expert groups, ODA experts evaluated the competitiveness of 'capacity building for policies, institutions and research' higher than the forestry experts. For priority fields of Korea's forest ODA, general groups perceived 'management of CERs' and 'conservation of biodiversity' most important, showing the clear difference in perception compared to that of experts. In Conclusion, for the effective forest ODA of Korea, the effort to fill the gap between the general and expert groups needs to be made, as well as developing forestry capacity building programs to cope with the fields such as climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation, which is newly required in a global society, in addition to using the past experience of forest rehabilitation in Korea. It will be useful for the rehabilitation of North Korea's forest in the future.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.63-77
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• 2016

SENKs (Students who Emigrated from North Korea to South Korea) are exposed to the general problem of Su-Po-Ja(mathematics give-uppers) as well as their own difficulty in learning mathematics. In this study, we conducted the FGI (focus group interview) in order to examine the recognition on mathematics teaching and learning in South Korea with 6 SENKs and 3 teachers who teach the SENKs. As a result, it was found that SENKs' had difficulties in understanding math because of the differences in math terminology used in South and that in North Korea, the unfamiliar problem situation used in math lesson, and the shortage of time for solving math problem. And the teachers reported that they had difficulties in teaching great deal of basic math, SENKs' weak will to learn math, and SENKs' lack of understanding about problem situation because of the inexperience about culture and society in South Korea.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.14 no.1_spc
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• pp.427-468
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• 2008

This article examines the role and influence of educational achievement on Korean society and its future. Four major factors that associated with and influence educational achievement in Korea (i.e., trust, efficacy beliefs, quality of life, and societal transformation) are reviewed. First, the role of educational achievement on establishing a basis for trust in Korean society is examined. By reviewing studies of perception of Korean society, people and institutions, the importance of establishing trust in Korean society is outlined. Second, the role of efficacy belief in promoting educational achievement is examined. The importance of collective efficacy, at the adolescent, adult and political levels is emphasized. In addition, the concept and application of self-efficacy for teachers and parents is reviewed. Third, the role and influence of educational achievement on quality of life is outlined. Studies indicate that educational achievement plays an important role in improving the quality of life. The pressure to achieve, however, can have negative impact on stress and mental health and support systems need to be developed to alleviate their impact. Fourth, the future and prospects for Korean society through educational achievement is discussed. Through education, the importance of bridging the divide with North Korea is an important agenda for the future of Korean society. Finally, the importance of indigenous psychological perspective in understanding Korean society and providing direction for the future is discussed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2019

Objective: This study attempts to gauge the necessity of contraceptive education for women defecting from North Korea (NKDWs). Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with six NKDWs who had lived in the Republic of Korea (ROK) for more than three years, to understand the subjects' perceptions, experiences, and opinions regarding contraception. Thematic analyses were performed using qualitative data provided in the survey results. Results: Before their defections from North Korea, none of the NKDWs had received any sex education. Loop is the only contraceptive method available to married women in ROK. After defection, NKDWs were provided information about contraceptive options available in China, but they could not fully understand this information. Furthermore, the information they received was not accurate. Thus, NKDWs had a high need for contraceptive sex education. As per our survey, their preferred education method was at least 3 lessons plus 1 : 1 counseling, as necessary. Conclusion: This study indicates that a necessity exists for development of a sex education program for NKDWs to enhance their contraceptive knowledge. Thus, government and health managers have a role to play in developing such a program.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.215-229
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• 2020

Purpose: This study examines the attitude of South Korean adults toward food aid to North Korea and factors associated with it. Methods: An online survey involving 1,000 adults aged 19-69 years was conducted between September-October 2019. Throughout South Korea, the subjects were proportionally distributed with respect to gender, age, and region, to represent South Korean adults. Results: A total of 44.6% of the respondents agreed (Agreement group), 36.7% disagreed (Disagreement group), and 18.7% neither agreed nor disagreed to food aid to North Korea. Compared to the Disagreement group, the Agreement group had a higher concern of food aid to North Korea and a more positive perception on the effect of it. The Agreement group selected "direct assistance from the government" whereas the Disagreement group chose "support through international organizations" as the most appropriate channel for food aid to North Korea. Logistic regression analysis revealed that South Korean adults showing a more positive perception on the effect of food aid to North Korea were more likely to agree to the aid (odds ratio [OR], 19.32). Moreover, compared to the conservatives, the progressives were more likely to agree to food aid to North Korea (OR, 5.94). South Korean adults in their 40-50s were more likely to agree to food aid to North Korea than those in their 20-30s (OR, 2.81). South Korean adults with a higher concern of food aid to North Korea (OR, 3.93) and a greater positive perception on Korean unification (OR, 1.88) were more likely to agree to food aid to North Korea. Conclusion: The most important factor associated with the attitude of South Korean adults toward food aid to North Korea was their perception on the subsequent effect. As strategies to draw social consensus on food aid to North Korea, we recommend systematizing the monitoring process on the effect of providing food aid to North Korea and informing the public of the outcomes.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.48
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• pp.1-30
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to review two books on the history of Korean literature written in Japanese, taking special interest in ancient Korean literature, examining transcultural patterns between the history of North and South Korean literature and that of Japanese literature, and thereby identifying perceptions and description patterns of the history of Korean literature from the perspective of comparative literature. This study analyzes two books with the same title The History of Joseon Literature written in Japanese by Kim Dongwook and Byeon Jaesoo. The two books are not translations of Korean books but were written in Japanese for Japanese and ethnic Korean readers in Japan. The History of Joseon Literature (1974) by Kim Dongwook mainly compares Joseon literature with Japanese literature. The History of Joseon Literature (1985) by Byeon Jaesoo, an ethnic North Korean in Japan, was written from socialistic perspectives. The two books have different standards for evaluating value of the history of Joseon literature and different perceptions about it. Due to the division between North and South Korea, the history of literature is unfolding in different ways in the two Koreas, and the two books reflect such differences. However, they have several common features. For example, they highly regard the value of literature written in Chinese characters and originality of hangga (a folk song of Silla), Hangeul (the Korean alphabet), and pansori (a form of Korean folk music in which a singer accompanied by a supportive drummer sings and chants an epic story). In addition, they both demonstrated that literature written in Hangeul and that written in Chinese characters interacted with each other as the same Korean literature. When the two books were written, the history of Korean literature had been considered a subunit of the history of East Asian or Chinese literature. However, as this study found, Kim and Byeon wrote the two books from a perspective of departing from this view based on nationalism, re-establishing the value of Korean literature, promoting Japanese people's understanding of the high quality of Korean literature, and imbuing ethnic Koreans in Japan with nationalistic pride.