• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.97-129
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• 2005

Korean society recently witnesses a rapid lllcrease of suicide across all ages. In particular, suicide in old ages jumps up ill a very unexpected way. Furthermore, the order of suicide in the cause of death across all ages is becoming higher and higher in Korea. This study provides details of suicide that occurs in Korean society with the comparison to that of Japan at the descriptive level. It is not well known why suicide in Korean surges recently. Several previous research show the possibility that surging suicide is closely related to the worsened economic conditions especially since the economic crisis in 1997. They adopt economic growth, unemployment rate, income distribution, household finance index as economic indicators in their research. This study also adopts those indicators and conducts a correlation analysis in two periods, 1990-1997 and 1998-2004. It is found that there is no correlation between economic indicators and suicide in the period of 1990-1997. On the other hand, there is a very strong correlation between income distribution and suicide in the period of 1998-2004. Other economic indicators except income distribution does not have any significant correlation with suicide. This finding suggests that currently increasing suicide in Korea may be a result of economic polarization, which has been worsened since the economic crisis in 1997.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.139-173
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• 1996

This study is an attempt to identify factors affecting korean immigrants concentration in small business enterprises in the middleman minority sector including the priphery and core sectors, with the private wage and self-employed worker examined in each sector, employing the 5 percent public use sample from the 1980 United States census. One out of five koreans aged 25∼64 years is engaged in self-employed small businesses, while the majority of koreans (4 out of 5) are in the private wage sector. In contrast to expectations, English language difficulties and inferior education are not the prime factors affecting self-employment small businesses. The korean self-employed small business owners both in the periphery sector and in the core sector showed the 'middle' strata of their position in the social structure in terms of their industry, occupation, earnings, etc.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.181-198
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• 1997

Going beyond the previous formulations of development theories, the present paper explores the effects other than political economy on quality of life in a rapidly developing country. The major analysis takes up the historical trend and nature of the developmental transformation that is partially a consequences of state structures and partially autonomous form it in South Korea. Also, it diagnoses developmental pathways for the future track by constructing a baseline model for state transition on the basis of power game between the state and civil society in the country. The results of the historical analysis show that civil society has been transformed in the course of confrontations and interactions between the state and nationalist social movement. The distinction between developmental(or bureaucratic authoritarian) and democratic state is presented to show that these are two qualitatively different aspects of state of state power, requiring separate analytical treatment. Furthermore, the state-centric approach which emphasizes the active role of the state at the sacrifice of societal fabric-constraining social conditions for quality of life - appears to be modified. On the contrary, the impact of civil society is transmitted both directly and indirectly via labor and ecological movement for quality of life, which is critical to the formation of the welfare state in the country. The prospect for sustainable development in Korea lies in providng and expanding quality of life in terms of the financial feasibility of the state through the public-private cooperation, and abstaining from drastic and radical commitment to welfare services as is the case with the European declines in welfare state, Further studies are needed to examine the interrelationships in different historical and cultural settings of developing counties to estimate a theory of quality of life and social justice.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.111-137
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to analyze how to change the fertility behavior at each parity after/before the economic crisis, and to find its significant determinants. The study assumes that because the socioeconomic changes have significant effects on the individual's fertility behavior, the individual's fertility behaviors and the determinants affecting fertility at each parity may change with economic crisis. Such assumption has been proven in this study. After the economic crisis, Korean fertility behavior at each parity has changed. The proportion of women having no child has increased. However, women who want to have a second child or a third one are more likely to do so within shorter period after marriage. The rectangularization of fertility has appeared after the economic crisis, because women married at later ages tends to finish their child bearing within the short period, especially before age 35. Based on the multiple variable analysis, the determinants affecting the fertility behavior have changed after the economic crisis. Interestingly, the men's safety job have the positive effects on the first childbearing while the women's safety careers have the negative effects on it, after the economic crisis. Before the economic crisis, both do not have significant effects on the first childbearing. This findings point out the limitation of women career favor policy, which purpose to raise the fertility rates by making good environments for women having children to work comfortably without the anxiety of child care.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.71-95
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• 2007

This paper attempts to identify the principle of family succession and family patterns of yangban in the late Chosun period through an analysis of male adaptation cases found in family registration records. The primary source of analysis is the family registration documents of Uiseong Kim's from the late 17th century to the early 20th century. As a result, it is found that there is a substantial change in the patterns of family from the early and mid Chosun period to the late Chosun period. The change is the strengthening of the principle of patriarchy succession through male adoption. Looking at the data as a whole, the average number of household members is increased and the membership of kinship also expanded. In contrast to the family patterns of the early Chosun period, not only the patterns of Uiseong Kim's family are predominately immediate family or collateral family but also the majority is extended family in the 18th and 19th centuries. The male adoption cases recorded in Uiseong Kim's family registration documents take up 33.8% of the male adoption cases in the entire family registration documents. This goes to show that the strengthening of the principle of primogeniture succession at a time when child mortality rate is very high resulted in the increase of male adoption. In conclusion, the late Chosun society was a society where the seat of primogeniture was much more important than immediate hereditary members in the family succession.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.87-95
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• 2005

Vegetation structure of the vascular plants was investigated from March 2003 to October 2003 in Haepyeong wetland, Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. Actual vegetation of Haepyeong wetland largely can be classified by floristic composition and physiognomy into 18 communities; Xanthium strumarium-Digitaria sanguinalis, Humulus japonicus, Persicaria perfoliata-Humulus japonicus, Phragmites japonica-Miscanthus sacchariflorus, Persicaria hydropiper-Phragmites communis, Persicaria hydropiper, Phragmites japonica-Persicaria hydropiper, Miscanthus sacchariflorus- Phragmites japonica, Persicaria hydropiper-Phragmites japonica, Miscanthus sacchariflorus-Salix glandulosa, Salix nipponica-Salix glandulosa, Salix nipponica-Salix koreensis, Salix nipponica, Miscanthus sacchariflorus-Salix nipponica, Phalaris arundinacea-Salix nipponica, Salix glandulosa-Salix nipponica, Trapa japonica, and Ceratophyllum demersum-Trapa japonica. Among them, the area of the Salix nipponica-Salix koreensis community was the largest as 122.2ha(9.23%). The dominant vegetation type was Miscanthus sacchariflorus-Persicaria hydropiper community based on phytosociological method, and it was was classified into three subcommunities; Salix glandulosa-Salix nipponica subcommunity, Digitaria sanguinalis subcommunity, and Cyperus amuricus subcommunity. Differential species of Salix glandulosa-Salix nipponica subcommunity were Salix nipponica, S. glandulosa, S. koreensis, Scirpus radicans, Persicaria maackiana, and Achyranthes japonica; differential species of Digitaria sanguinalis subcommunity were D. sanguinalis, Setaria viridis, Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior, and Cyperus orthostachyus; differential species of Xanthium strumarium subcommunity were X. strumarium, Acalypha australis, Erigeron canadensis, Echinochloa crus-galli, and Vicia tetrasperma. Zonation of vascular hydrophytes and hygrophytes was as followers: Salix glandulosa, S. koreensis, S. nipponica were distributed in the region of land which water table is low, and Persicaria maackiana, Persicaria hydropiper, Scirpus radicans were distributed in the understory. And emergent plants such as Phragmites communis and Scirpus karuizawensis, floating-leaved plant such as Trapa japonica, submersed plant such as Ceratophyllum demersum, and free floating plant such as Spirodela polyrhiza formed the zonation from shoreline to water. The specified wild plants designated by the Korean Association for Conservation of Nature, Ministry of Forest, and Ministry of Environment were not distributed in the study area. It was expected that Haepyeong Wetland worthy of conservation contributed purifying water pollution, giving habitats of many lifes, and providing beautiful scenes of the river.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.1346-1353
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• 2011

Sophora tonkinensis Gapnep has been used as a traditional herbal medicine in oriental regions since ancient times. In this study, the effect and mechanism of the MeOH extract of Sophora tonkinensis Gapnep (STME) on adipocite differentiation and adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocites were investigated. Treatment with STME in the concentration range of 0-200 ${\mu}g$/ml significantly inhibited the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocites in a dose-dependent manner, as determined by a decrease in intracellular lipid droplets and lipid contents measured by Oil Red O staining. In association with the inhibitory effect of lipid accumulation, the expressions of the proteins concerned with adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocites were also investigated. Treatment with STME reduced the expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ (PPAR${\gamma}$), cytidine-cytidine-adenosine-adenosine-thymine (CCAAT)/enhancer-binding proteins ${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ (C/EBP${\alpha}$ and C/EBP${\beta}$) and sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP), which are adipocyte specific markers. In flow cytometry analysis, the inhibitory effect of differentiation was caused by G1 arrest and following mitotic clonal expansion cease. Therefore, we also investigated the alteration of G1 phase arrest-related proteins. As a result, the expression of p21 protein was significantly increased, while the expressions of Cdk2, E2F-1 and phospho-Rb were reduced in a dose-dependent manner in STME treated 3T3-L1 cells. According to these results, STME might inhibit differentiation through G1 arrest in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes adipogenesis, and further studies, which are in progress, have to be completed to identify the active compounds.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.21 no.2 s.24
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• pp.217-223
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• 1988

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine the prevalence rate of scoliosis in elementary, middle and high school boys in May 1988. The study population included 1,393 male students in Pusan ; 463 students of 4th grade in two elementary schools, 543 students of 1st grade in one middle school and 387 students of 1st grade in one high school. The students of elementary school were screened with inspection by two physicians at the same time and the students of middle and high schools were screened with both inspection by the same physicians and 70mm chest X-ray. Positive students in any one of the two screening tests were measured for height and body weight and asked for the shoulder side on which he carries the school bag. The angle of curvature on X-ray film was measured by Cobb's method. The number of positive students in any one of the two screening tests were 15(3.2%) in elementary schools, 174(32.0%) in middle school and 92(23.8%) in high school. However, positive rates in both tests were only 2.2% for the middle school students and 2.6% for the high school students and among these students 1.1% out of total middle school students and 2.3% of high school students had a curvature equal to or greater than $5^{\circ}$ of Cobb's angle on 70mm chest X-ray film. There was a statistically significant association between the direction of spinal curve and the shoulder side on which one carries school bag among positive students in both screening 1.sts (p<0.05) Mean height and body weight of 281 positive students in any one of two screening tests were compared with the Korean standard for the same age. Mean weight of elementary school students was nearly the same as the standard weight but the height was slightly shorter than the standard. However, both mean height and weight of the middle school students were lower than the standard while those of the high school students were higher. The prevalence rate of scoliosis for the 2nd and 3rd grades of high school is presumed to be higher than that of the 1st grade of high school and the rate for girls will be even higher than the rate for boys of the same age. Thus, scoliosis seems to be an important school health problem. To prevent scoliosis, it is recommeded to reduce the weight of school bag, educate the students to keep a right posture and exercise periodically.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.3 s.47
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• pp.447-463
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• 1994

Despite the public health importance of injury and poisoning in terms of its high mortality and incidence, epidemiologic information to be utilized are scarce in Korea. This study was carried out in 1990 on a representative sample population (about 55,000 persons) along with the 6th National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey in order to estimate the magnitude of injury and poisoning occurrence and to identify its epidemiologic characteristics which can be aided for establishing preventive strategy. Pre-tested and structured Questionnaire was used by trained interviewer to collect data including general information of the person, various information on the injury and poisoning during the past one year such as time and place of its occurrence, its nature and external causes, type of medical institute attended, duration of treatment and outcome of the accident occured. In analysis of the data collected incidence rates per 1000 persons by sex, age group and its nature as well as external causes, and relative frequencies were calculated. The result obtained are as followings; 1. The incidence rate per 1000 was 30 for both sexes, 39 for male and 22 for female, male being 1.8 times more frequent than female. Age adjusted incidences were not much different from the crude rates. Age group specific rate curve showed bimodal shape in both sexes, small peaks in preschool children and higher peaks in older ages. The incidence rate per 1000 people by area was highest in Jeon-bug province (57/1000) and the lowest in Daegu city(11/1000). 2. The place where the injuries occured were road in 46%, within the boundary of house in 25%, and working place in 12% The injuries and poisoning had occured more frequently during the months from March to August of the year than other months. 3. The relatively frequent injuries by its nature were contusion with intact skin surface (19%), fracture of upper limb (13%), open wound of head, neck and trunk (12%) and fracture of lower limb (11%) among males; contusion with intact skin surface (28%), sprains and strains of joints and adjacent muscle (14%), fracture of upper limb (10%) and fracture of lower limb (9%) among females. Higher incidence rate among males than females were fracture of skull (4.5 times), open wound and fractures of limbs ($2{\sim}3$ times). Age specific rate of injuries and poisoning by its nature showed increasing pattern by age in fractures of upper and lower limbs and sprains & strains of joints whereas the age group of 30's showed highest incidence in open wounds of upper limb. Fractures of radius and ulna in upper limb, fractures of tibia & fibula and ankle in lower limb were most frequent among fractures of upper and lower limbs. The frequent injuries among sprains and strains of joints and adjacent muscles were that of ankle, foot and back, and among open wound were that of head and fingers. 4. Relative frequency of injuries and poisoning by external causes showed following order : other accidents (25%), accidental falls (23%), motor vehicle accident (22%) and other road vehicle accident (14%) among males and accidental falls (37%), motor vehicle accident (24%) and other accident (18%) among females. The external causes revealing higher incidences among males than females, were other road vehicle accident (4.8 times), vehicle accident not elsewhere classifiable (4.4 times), accidental poisoning (4.4 times), accidents due to natural and environmental factors (2.8 times), and sucide & self-inflicted injuries (2.8 times). Age specific incidence by external causes for frequent injuries showed that incidence of other accident steadily increased from 10's till age 50's; motor vehicle traffic accident increased from age 20's and dropped after age 60's; on the other hand accidental fall increased strikingly by age. The most frequent external causes among motor vehicle traffic accidents was motor vehicle traffic accident involving collision with pedstrain (69%), pedal cycle accident (30%) and other road vehicle accident (71%) among other road vehicle accidents; falls on same level from slipping, tripping or standing (44%) and other falls from one level to another among accidental falls; accidents caused by machinary (32%) for male and striking against or struck accidentally by objects or person for female among other accidents. 5. Seventy nine percent of the injuries and poisonings were treated in general hospital or hospital/clinic. The duration of treatment ranged from a few days to 123 weeks; the majority(52%) took under 2 weeks, 36% for $3{\sim}8$ weeks and 4% over 21 weeks. 6. The accident resulted in full recovery of normal healthy state in 62%, residual functional defects in 21% and on process of treatment in 16%.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.35-55
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• 1984

This study aims to present basic data for a reasonable home management through investigating the change of home economy conditions incidental to the family life cycle, also through analyzing the effect of socio-anthropological variables on the family-life cycle. The data investigation using the questionnaires method was conducted on housewives in Seoul as the central census tract. Housewives as the subject of investigation were chosen by the method of the purpose-sampling in consideration of the regional differences and the socio-economical strata. Nine hundred and forty questionnaires were distributed to housewives but seven hundred questionnaires were collected. Only five hundred and ten questionnaires of them were analyzed in this study. The frequency and the percentage of collected data, first of all, were founded in order to grasp the general characteristics of the subject of investigation. To classify the stage of family life cycle, the correlations of the classifying factors among each group were examined x2 Test and One-Way ANOVA were applied to explore the differences among each stage of the change of household-economy. And the effect of socio-anthropological variables on the change of household- economy was analyzed by Two-way ANOVA. the conclusions derived from the results of this study are as follows; 1) The marriage-period and the educational conditions of the first child were selected as the classifying factors through analyzing correlation among the age, the marriage-period and the educational conditions of their children. As a result of this analysis, the family life cycle were classified into seven stages: Stage 1; Establishment Stage 2; Preschool family Stage 3; Elementary school family stage 6; Adult period family Stage7; Marriage period family . 2) The change of household economy incidental to the progress of family life cycle has a significant differences in all of variables (except the other member of family's income) Stage 1; Though the husband's income and the income from property are on a low level, the total income is on a high level due to the housewife's income. Stage 2; The total income is on a low level owing to the decrease of house wife's income, though the husband's income keep growing. Stage 3; Owing to the increase of husband's income, the cost of living as well as the total income keeps growing but the savings are on the decrease. Stage 4; Compared with Stage 3, the total income tends to be on a low level but the living expenses are on the increase. Stage 5; The husband's income is on the highest level in the stages of family life cycle. The total income and the living expenses are on a high level. Stage 6; The income of husband and housewife are on the remarkable decrease but the children's income is on the increase. Stage 7; Owing to the increase of the children's income and the income from property, the total income is on the highest level in the stages of family life cycle. 3) Considering the effect of socio-anthropological variables on the conditions of household-economy, family system has an significant effect on children's income. the husband's occupation exerts a significant effect upon the housewife's and children's income. The husband's schooling exercises an effect upon the children's income. S.E.S has a important effect on the income of husband, housewife and children. From the above results, it is found that the change of household-economy conditions is incidental to the progress of family life cycle. Therefore, a suitable measure to cope with the desire of family and the conditions of household-economy should be prepared, in order to carry on a reasonable home management.