• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.186-203
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• 2015

This article attempts to examine both the outcome and future task of the art history research on Central Eurasia, better known under the name of "Silk Road". The term Central Eurasia encompasses Xinjiang Uygur, Tibet, Mongolia, former Soviet Republics, the northwest region of India, Iran and Turkey. The article analyzes the 30-year history of the region's art history research and further presents a desirable direction that the study should move towards. Though short in its research period, the ROK's art history study on Central Eurasia has shown eye-catching achievement in several areas such as the northwest region of India and the Xinjiang Uygur, Dunhwang of China. Two factors allowed for this accomplishment. First was the actual improvement of the work environment, where the scholars were finally able to travel to Central Eurasia and explore the historic sites for themselves since 1990. More important was the 'arena of study' for the next-generation scholars made possible by institutions like The Korean Association for Central Asian Studies and the Center for Central Eurasian Studies. Slowly but consistently, the two academic societies induced scholars' attention towards the field and fostered new experts. Circumstances changed, marking 2012 as the starting point. International academic forums held by the government branches surged in number. The intention behind it was to link the ROK with the Silk Road and ultimately to obtain the "Eurasia initiative". As of now, the public has shown heightened interest in the issue. The academia is subsequently riding on this second "wave of interest" following the first wave in the 1980s. However, increased popularity comes with some negative consequences, and this art history research on Central Eurasia is no exception. There are criticisms regarding the objectivity of recent academic forums. Some argue that the aim of the forums are sternly set most of the times, prohibiting the presenters to voice their own perspectives. Still, this heated attention will definitely play its role as a stepping stone for further development. The academia should commit to fostering rising researchers who will systemically and professionally study the field. This is imperative in order for the Korean culture to successfully communicate with the world and take itself to a new level. Without completing this task, the ROK's art history research on Central Eurasia is likely to remain idle.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.51-67
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• 2016

This article examines the nature of geopolitics and its impact on the international political economy of Eurasia/Silk Road. The research questions are exploratory and aim at revealing the differing geopolitical perceptions of the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the former Soviet Central Asian countries-Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan-within the context of an emerging "New Silk Road". Consequently, the main goal of this article is to contribute to a better understanding of what factors constrain and shape Silk Road initiatives in Eurasia. To this end, the article focuses on geopolitics and regional integration theories through a consideration of the Silk Road initiatives of a number of Eurasian countries.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.113-132
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• 2017

Several theories about the ancestry of the Khazars and the origins of the Khazar state have been suggested to date. None of them provides a comprehensive solution for the controversial data of the written sources on the early history of the Khazars. This article investigates a possible link between the title of Kagan-Bek of the Deputy Kagan of the Khazars and a similar title Ellac/Ilek of the Akatsir-Huns. This study of the title argues for statehood and political culture connections between the earliest Turkic tribes of Western Eurasia and the Khazars and Turks of Central Asia.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.165-184
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• 2021

This article demonstrates the significance of long-distance networks formed by traders from Afghanistan and Central Asia to the forging of present-day transregional connections within Asia. It identifies two connective corridors authored by these traders: a 'Eurasian corridor' connecting East Asia to post-Soviet Eurasia and extending into Western Europe and a 'West Asian corridor' involving traders originally from Central Asia linking East Asia to Turkey and the Arabian Peninsula. Empirically, the paper documents and analyses the varying cultural and political orientations of traders operating along these networks, and ways in which specific nodes in the networks contribute to their activities as a whole. Conceptually, the papers suggest that the study of 'inter-Asian' connections stands to benefit from deploying oceanic and inland models of geography in a non-dichotomous manner.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.154-165
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• 2015

Common issues in research and policy on cultural heritage can be extracted among Eurasian countries although countries in the region show different colors of policies and studies. Among them one thing peculiar to Central Asian countries is that in general they do not have well delineated laws and regulations on the protection of cultural heritage. It may be because they had no enough time and experience to legislate and implement relevant laws and regulations ever since they got independence. Research on cultural heritage in Central Asian countries is often made in cooperation with foreign institutions. As shown in archaeological excavation projects in Central Asian countries, cooperative projects exceed noncooperative ones in terms of size and longevity. UNESCO, through its projects on the Serial and Transboundary World Heritage Nomination of the Silk Roads in Central Asia, also supports countries in Central Asia and others along the Silk Road in order to facilitate inclusion of their cultural heritages in the Tentative List of the World Heritage. With regard to activities on the protection of cultural heritage, while respective countries in Central Asia have made good efforts, they could not produce effective outcomes due to short of budget and specialized manpower. They have rich resources of cultural and documentary heritage but their registered heritages on the UNESCO's World Heritage List and Memory of the World are under-represented because of short of technology and experience among other things. A new trend in cultural heritage studies that combined cultural heritage with tourism has merged in recent years. While some critics have raised some negative questions, this new fashion became popular and will continue with the support of governments of Silk Road countries. In conclusion, Korean institutions are further encouraged to organize cooperative networks for research and policy with respective Eurasian countries.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.585-597
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• 2007

The characteristics of the rainfall events on the Korean peninsula have been investigated by means of regional and global observational data collected from 1954 to 2004 with an emphasis on extreme cases $80\;mm\;day^{-1}$. According to our analysis, long-term annual rainfall anomalies show an increasing trend. This trend is pronounced in the month of August, when both the amount of monthly rainfall and the frequency of extreme events increase significantly. Composite maps on August during the 8 wet years reveal warm SST anomalies over the eastern Philippine Sea which are associated with enhanced convection and vertical motion and intensified positive SLP over central Eurasia during August. The rainfall pattern suggests that the most significant increase in moisture supply over the southern parts of China and Korea in August is associated with positive SLP changes over Eurasia and negative SLP changes over the subtropical western Pacific off the east coast of south China. The frequent generation of typhoons over the warm eastern Philippine Sea and their tracks appear to influence the extreme rainfall events in Korea during the month of August. The typhoons in August mainly passed the western coast of Korea, resulting in the frequent occurrence of extreme rainfall events in this region. Furthermore, anomalous cyclonic circulations over the eastern Philippine Sea also promoted the generation of tropical cyclones. The position of pressure systems - positive SLP over Eurasia and negative SLP over the subtropical Pacific - in turn provided a pathway for typhoons. The moisture is then effectively transported further north toward Korea and east toward the southern parts of China during the extreme rainfall period.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.275-285
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• 1998

Based on the geographic range and distribution of its rodent reservoir host, the European common vole (Microtus arvalis), Tula virus is likely to be widespread throughout Eurasia. Tula virus-infected voles have been captured in Central Russia, Austria, Czech and Slovak Republics, and the former Yugoslavia. Although serologic evidence for Hantaan (HTN) or Seoul (SEO) virus infection can be found in the vast majority of the more than 300 cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) occurring annually in Korea, approximately 4% of Korean patients with HFRS show a more than 4-fold higher antibody titer to Puumala (PUU) virus than to HTN or SEO virus by double-sandwich IgM ELISA, suggesting the existence of pathogenic Puumala-related hantaviruses in Korea. To further define the geographic distribution and genetic diversity of Tula virus in Eurasia and to investigate the existence of previously unrecognized Microtus-borne hantavirus in Korea, arvicolid rodents were captured in Lodz, Poland in 1995 and in Yunchon-kun, Kyungki-do during April to May, 1998. In addition, sera from 18 Korean HFRS patients who showed higher (or the same) antibody titer to Tula virus than HTN and SEO viruses were examined for hantavirus RNA by RT-PCR. Hantaviral sequences were not detected in any of the 18 patients or in 35 reed voles (Microtus fortis) in Korea. Alignment and comparison of a 208-nucleotide region of the S segment, amplified from lung tissues of two hantavirus-seropositive Marvalis captured in Poland, revealed $80.8{\sim}83.2%$ sequence similarity, respectively, with Tula virus strains from Central Russia and the Czech and Slovak Republics. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the newfound Tula virus strains from Poland were closely related to other Tula hantaviruses from Eurasia.

• Proceedings of the Korea Port Economic Association Conference
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• 2007.07a
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• pp.291-312
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• 2007

This paper is designed to look for a specialized strategies by drawing the special features of Busan New Port from both a comparative analysis of major factors of harbor competitiveness and a SWOT analysis of Yangshan Port, one of the biggest competitive ports in Northeast Asia, so that Busan New Port may preoccupy a status as the hub port of the area. The researcher would like to suggest the following measures to make Busan New Port serve as the central port of Northeast Asia on the basis of the findings; Korea should push ahead with creating a railroad transportation linking with Eurasia Contient, secure the amount of goods and resources with the help of the early development of the surrounding complex of the port, make a considerable progress in the level of port service, come up with a differentiation strategies for harbor marketing activities and improve its productivity.

• Asian review of World Histories
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.201-218
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• 2015

World history today has been greatly influenced by the fact that it was the revolution in naval power during the past two centuries that made the world truly global. This has led to a new master narrative that re-framed five millennia of recorded history in order to explain the ultimate triumph of the maritime economies. The result of such revision is to underestimate and distort the role of continental Eurasia in the shaping of the three key civilizations that developed independently and remain distinct: the Mediterranean, the Indic and the Sinic. Only by a fuller reappraisal of the linkages of trade and war dominated by the Eurasian central forces for most of history can we understand the global pressures perennially at work. By setting the continental and the maritime in their total historical context and recognizing their importance today, we can better explain what is happening and what is likely to continue to influence the course of world history.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.33-50
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• 2016

The article studies the new situation in international long distance trade after the emergence of new superpower - Arab Caliphate - in Eurasian overland tracks of the Great Silk Road. The stages of Arab advancement along trade routes and outcomes of their contestation with the strong tribal confederations of Turkic nomads in Central Asia and the Caucasus are highlighted. A special focus is made upon the relationship of Arabs with Khazar Turks who have endured severe clashes with strongest army of the time in the region. Khazar kingdom survived and even expanded its control over the tracks of international trade in the western part of Eurasia. The research describes the way how trade partnership between Arabs and Turks was shaped in the aftermath of military clashes. Existing scholarly views on the role of Khazar in Silk Road are reviewed and unattended evidence of Arab sources are involved to support concluding points that Khazar state managed to consolidate various actors for maintenance of international trade such as so called Rus warriors and merchants in the west of Volga, nomadic tribes in Eurasian steppes, and Jewish trading gild named ar-rahdaniyya in Arab sources. It is asserted that Khazar state since the second half of 9th century through its decline in mid 10th century not only served as transit space for goods of exporting countries but also exported goods of its own crafts and natural resources.