• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.12 no.5_spc
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• pp.133-147
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• 2006

Korean society is rapidly becoming an ageing society. The Korean may have to live longer than did their parents. Increasing life expectancy and changing social structure, Korean people are getting interested in quality of life, and well-being is becoming a matter of concern. And, the Korean is fully aware of the importance of health for well-being or good life. This concern about health may bring about specific behaviors related to health. Although health care expenditures of Korea are currently smaller than those of other developed countries, it is continuously increasing. Large portion of increased amount of health care expenditures is to spend for disease prevention and expansion of long-term care facilities. Constructs of well-being of the Korean, not living in western culture, may be different from those of people living in western society. Health is not top-ranked to importance for quality of life in previous studies. It does not mean health isn't determinant factor for good life or well-being. Health is an essential element for well-being. It has been proved in several researches which examined poor quality of life caused by certain diseases and management of health-related quality of life. Some theories relate to health-seeking behaviors suggested the health belief or the attitude toward health, intention to do health behavior, perceived behavioral control, and self efficacy as important factors which could predict health-related behaviors. With getting older, people decline in physical and physiological functions and become vulnerable to chronic diseases. Quality of life depends on how to adjust to these changes in senescence. Social supports, especially supports from offspring, are very important to quality of life in senescence, because supports from offspring have influence on pride of the older, they may be afraid of disclose the conflict with their offspring. Avoiding self-disclosure exclude other source of social supports and harm individual's health, therefore psychological intervention is needed to. Increasing life expectancy of the Korean, Korean government has to provide numerous long-term care facilities as well as psychosocial supports. The Korean, so far, does not recognize that psychologist could render great service to promoting individual or community health and improving individual's quality of life. It is highly expected that psychologists take actively interested and involve in health related to quality of life.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.51-77
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• 2012

This study examines the scale of occurrence of Catastrophic Health Expenditure, and identifies the factors influencing Catastrophic Health Expenditure among disabled elderly households. Catastrophic Health Expenditure is defined by when the households' health care spending out of ability to pay exceeds 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. This study used the 2008, 2009, and 2010 surveys of the Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled(PSED) to explore how gender, age, spouse, the level of education, the degree of disability, the type of disability, disability duration, subjective health status, chronic disease, the number of household members, the proportion of disabled households, the proportion of working households, the proportion of aged households, the type of poverty, household income, net asset, determine Catastrophic Health Expenditure among disabled elderly households. The study examines the frequency of Catastrophic Health Expenditure with 726 households, and conducted the panel logit model. The empirical results show that Catastrophic Health Expenditures are significantly related to age, spouse, the type of disability, subjective health status, chronic disease, the number of households, the proportion of disabled households, the proportion of aged households, the type of poverty. This study showed that the health care safety net in South Korea was insufficient for disabled elderly households and that a policy should be established in ordered to protect disabled elderly households from occurrence of Catastrophic Health Expenditure.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.90 no.3
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• pp.373-379
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• 2001

The objectives of this study were to assess implementation on tariff quotas and tariff cuts committed in the WTO as result of Uruguay Round(UR) negotiations and to examine impacts of reductions in agricultural protection agreed in the UR on major non-timber forest products markets. The implementation of WTO Agreement on Agriculture was analysed based on the relevant data and statistics. The impacts of implementation on tariff cuts and tariff quotas on non-timber forest products markets were estimated by using supply and demand elasticities from previous studies and data on production, consumption and trade after UR. The quantities of Chestnut, Pine nut and Jujube imported by the system of tariff quota did not exceed the committed quotas over the five years from 1995 to 1999. The current level of applied rates on imports of non-timber products is much lower than that of bound rates, which will be maintained until the year 2004. It is estimated that increase in imports after UR reduced prices and that reduction in prices led to decrease in expenditure and to increase in consumer surplus. It is estimated, however, that production level significantly decreased due to rise in imports and that the negative effects on production exceeded positive effects on consumption. Exports of most non-timber forest products decreased after UR even though non-timber forest products could gain access to the export markets at the lower tariffs as a result of UR.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.37-70
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• 2011

The 40-hour work week system has brought positive impact on shortening working hours, eliminating long-time work, increasing leisure-time with family, etc. And this has brought about an increase in leisure-life satisfaction and happiness level. The type of leisure activities has changed from passive activities such as rest to active activities such as sports, tourism. And the 40-hour work week system has positive impact on social activities such as participation in volunteer work and, club activities. Thus all efforts need to be made to establish 40-hour work week system as soon as possible in all workplace. Firstly, 40-hour work week system needs to be introduced to every workplace with less than 5 persons, enlarge 5-day school week system into every primary and secondary school, and create conditions for positive leisure activities. Secondly, labor standards supervision and administration needs to be strengthened to eliminate long-time work over 52 hours per week, below-minimum wage work.