• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.209-217
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to confirm the dissolution of arsenic from the stabilized soil around abandoned coal mines by cultivation activities. Experimental soils were collected from the agricultural field around Okdong and Buguk coal mines, and the concentration of arsenic in the soil and the geochemical mobility were confirmed. The average arsenic concentration was 20 mg/kg. The soil with relatively high geochemical mobility of arsenic in the soil was used in the batch and column experiment. The limestone was mixed with soil for soil stabilization, and the mixing ratio was 3% of limestone, based on the soil weight. The phosphoric acid fertilizer (NH₄H₂PO₄) was added to the soil to simulate a cultivation condition according to the Rural Development Administration's rules. Comparative soil without mixing limestone was prepared and used as a control group. The arsenic extraction from soil was increased following the fertilizer mixing amount and it shows a positive relationship. The concentration of phosphate in the supernatant was relatively low under the condition of mixing limestone, which is determined to be result of binding precipitation of phosphate ions and calcium ions dissolved in limestone. Columns were set to mix phosphoric acid fertilizers and limestone corresponding to cultivation and stabilization conditions, and then the column test was conducted. The variations of arsenic extraction from the soil indicated that the stabilization was effectible until 10 P.V.; however, the stabilization effect of limestone decreased with time. Moreover, the geochemical mobility of arsenic has transformed by increasing the mobile fractions in soil compared to initial soil. Therefore, based on the arsenic extraction results, the cultivation activities using phosphoric fertilizer could induce a decrease in the stabilization effect.

• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.115-162
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• 2022

The Rules of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), revised at the eighth Party Congress in 2021, reflect the Kim Jong Un regime's changes in strategic lines and ideological justifications on North Korea's socialism and communism, and its recent stances against the external environment. Moreover, they contain critical changes in the party's organizational system encompassing the central and the provinces. This study explores the organizational changes of the "monolithic guidance system of the party core" stipulated by the new party rules in January 2021, based on the analysis of the entire nine revised rules of the WPK since 1945. In the 2021 Party Congress, the Kim Jong Un regime, which officially came to power after the fourth Party Conference in 2012, has institutionalized the monolithic guidance system centered on the party core, or the head of state, Kim Jong Un. The newly set leadership and execution system, which reorganized party, government, and military organizational structure and accompanied the relevant personnel changes, was derived from the attempts for reinstating the Kim Jong Un regime as a more normalized party-state structure before its 10th year in power in April 2022. The "monolithic leadership system of the party core" established a system of "organizational leadership" through the organization of the Central Committee, directed by the Party Head, or General Secretary. The institutionalization of the new system resulted from the ten-year development of the revival of the party-state structure, which compromised the status of the military and reconfirmed the party's control of the military. This study explains the new system from the perspectives of both institutionalization and top-down unity, shedding light on the new party-military-government relations of the Kim Jong Un regime. The analysis contributes to a better understanding and forecasting of the Kim Jong Un regime's governance, which currently strengthens the monolithic leadership system as a crisis management system in the face of the "triple hardships" of sanctions, Covid and disaster.

• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.27
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• pp.223-254
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• 2009

This thesis is aimed at researching the formation of democracy in socialist China. Due to a sense of cultural superiority on the basis of their developed civilization, they already formed a strong cultural nationalism, which has come to firm up into "Sinocentrism" through long periods of time. However, there arose a sense of crisis due to the Western invasion after the Opium War and the intellectuals in China happened to seek the solution to rescuing their mother land from ruin; in the midst of this process, the theory of social evolution of the West was introduced and accepted. The acceptance of this theory of social evolution gradually transformed in confrontation with a logical limit that China defeated in international competition could not but be plundered by imperialism after all, but it contributed to Chinese intellectuals' forming the concept of the modern state nationalism of the West deviating from cultural Sinocentrism. After the Russian Revolution, a large number of Chinese progressive intellectuals developed their socialist movement with the recognition that Marxism was a practicable alternative to rescue China from its crisis. The Chinese Communist Party was under guidance of the Comintern from the early process of its formation, in which they emphasized the fact the national liberation struggle in colonialized countries was an indispensable element in the world communist movement under the condition of the control of the world by imperialist capital at that time and subsequently, Marxism characterized by resistant nationalism in China gained its cause. Afterwards, the People's Republic of China was established by the Chinese Communists which came to get widespread support from the Chinese through anti-imperialism &feudalism in the process of the Sino-Japanese War, and thus China equipped with a full-blown socialism system set sails. However, with the relations with the Soviet Union getting worse under the international conditions of a cold war, the development of the Chinese socialism couldn't but resort to the concentrated power of its people, which was linked to the boost of continuous patriotism of the Chinese Communists. Particularly, due to the newly-emerging contradictions after reform & opening [gig kifng], China underwent disruption; thus, as an ideology to integrate such disruptive elements, Sinocentrism based on China's cultural pride re-appeared. Recently, a very strong form of Sinocentrism has come to the fore as their superiority of traditional cultures is emphasized in China whose international position as an economic power has been raised.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.582-591
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• 2022

This study was conducted to eliminate Myocastor coypusMolina, 1782 (Nutria) from Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea. Habitat identification and eradication were carried out from September to November 2013, and a survey was carried out until June 2022 to check whether the eradication was successful. The habitat was identified with unmanned cameras, interviews, and literature surveys, and the capture was performed using the trapping method with food to attract nutria to the habitat area. The study area for the follow-up survey, which was set relatively wide considering nutria's home range, included wetlands and rivers within 4.0 km² of the habitat area (eradication area). As a result, nutria's habitat was confirmed only at Songdang Ranch, Songdang-ri, of Jeju Island, with traces of habitat (footprints, excrement, and burrows) confirmed in waterways and ponds within the pasture. Eight individuals were captured, including four females, three males, and one individual in too advanced a state of decay to identify the sex. The follow-up survey thoroughly investigated the habitat and its surroundings, focusing on three areas with permanent water, Seongeup Reservoir, Cheonmi Creek, and Molsuni Pond, but no signs of habitat were identified. Therefore, it is determined that nutria inhabiting Jeju Island has been completely eradicated. It is believed that the successful eradication of nutria in the Jeju Special Autonomous Region was possible due to a synergy between 1) the eradication of nutria at the beginning of the settlement phase through rapid capture after confirming the nutria habitat and 2) the delayed expansion period because of rare presence of wetlands, where water is constantly stagnant, on Jeju Island. These results imply that quickly identifying the ecological characteristics of the species and preventing disturbances before they or at the beginning of the ecological disturbance through control and eradication at the initial stage of settlement before the expansion stage is an effective measure to cope with the influx of alien species.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-84
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• 2011

It seems essential to examine the factors that may affect relationship commitment of subcontractors to parent companies in the industrial market in Korea in an effort to construct a win-win-type cooperative network among them. Lots of studies have been focusing on the consumer goods market. Relatively few studies have been focused on industrial market. In the industrial goods market subcontractors used to sell their parts or services only to a small number of parent companies in a large quantity, resulting in decisive control of subcontractors over the quality of parent companies' finished goods. This is why relationship between subcontractors and parent companies is extremely important. From this viewpoint, this study aims to survey and analyze empirically the paths leading to relationship commitment of subcontractors toward the parent companies which are required to incite them to build up a collaborative network by means of subcontractors' entrepreneurship. For this aim, market orientation effects of entrepreneurship as well as factors of performance and trust are particularly set forth as the bases of developing hypotheses in this study in order to explore the paths from entrepreneurship to relationship commitment as follows. First, the path of entrepreneurship-market orientation-communication-trust- relationship commitment; second, the path of entrepreneurship-market orientation-performance-relationship commitment; third, the path of entrepreneurship-market orientation-transaction specific asset investment -trust-relationship commitment; and fourth, the path in which the entrepreneurship is expected to promote direct transaction specific asset investment by parent companies to induce their trust and, eventually, relationship commitment of subcontractors. The outcomes of the empirical analysis in this study may be summed up as follows: First, the conclusions of preceding studies are also supported here by the fact that the entrepreneurship of subcontractors promotes their market orientation (hypothesis 9), indicating that the entrepreneurship can facilitate collection, proliferation of and response to market informations. On the contrary, however, the assumption that the entrepreneurship of subcontractors might directly accelerate transaction specific asset investment by parent companies (hypothesis 8) is rejected. Second, although the influence of subcontractors' entrepreneurship on parent companies' investment of assets peculiar to their transactions is not affirmed, the assumption is found to be supported that subcontractors' market orientation would expedite the parent companies' investment of assets peculiar to their transactions. Moreover, it is also confirmed that parent companies' investment of assets peculiar to transactions would promote subcontractors' trust toward the parent companies (hypothesis 6), signifying that parent companies may level up their trust in subcontractors when they make great amount of efforts to invest in the assets peculiar to transactions, not behaving opportunistically, Third, the hypotheses 4 and 5 also turn out to be supported by the analysis as the former assumes that market orientation could promote communication and the latter relates that the communication between subcontractors and parent companies would prompt trust, both results in affirming that market orientation could introduce open communication to speed up sharing of information and that sharing of information by way of communication might give an impetus to trust. Fourth, the assumption that subcontractors' market orientation would expedite performance (hypothesis 3) is also proved favorably to the significant level equivalent to that of preceding studies. Fifth, same as preceding studies, it is also verified in this study that the benefit (outcomes) awarded by parent companies to subcontractors will be a direct cause exercising a positive impact upon relationship commitment(hypothesis 2) and that the trust of subcontractors toward parent companies may have affirmative influence on the relationship commitment(hypothesis 1). Overall, the first, second and third paths are identified as being supported by the hypotheses among constituent factors, while the fourth path is deemed meaningless since it is shown that the entrepreneurship exercises no effects on parent companies' investment in the assets peculiar to transactions.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.306-314
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• 2023

Stream sediments are an important component of water quality management because they are receptors of various pollutants such as heavy metals and organic matters emitted from upland sources and can be secondary pollution sources, adversely affecting water environment. To effectively manage the stream sediments, identification of primary sources of sediment contamination and source-associated control strategies will be required. We evaluated the performance of machine learning models in identifying primary sources of sediment contamination based on the physico-chemical properties of stream sediments. A total of 356 stream sediment data sets of 18 quality parameters including 10 heavy metal species(Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, As, Zn, Cr, Hg, Li, and Al), 3 soil parameters(clay, silt, and sand fractions), and 5 water quality parameters(water content, loss on ignition, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous) were collected near abandoned metal mines and industrial complexes across the four major river basins in Korea. Two machine learning algorithms, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers were used to classify the sediments into four cases of different combinations of the sampling period and locations (i.e., mine in dry season, mine in wet season, industrial complex in dry season, and　industrial complex in wet season). Both models showed good performance in the classification, with SVM outperformed LDA; the accuracy values of LDA and SVM were 79.5% and 88.1%, respectively. An SVM ensemble model was used for multi-label classification of the multiple contamination sources inlcuding landuses in the upland areas within 1 km radius from the sampling sites. The results showed that the multi-label classifier was comparable performance with sinlgle-label SVM in classifying mines and industrial complexes, but was less accurate in classifying dominant land uses (50~60%). The poor performance of the multi-label SVM is likely due to the overfitting caused by small data sets compared to the complexity of the model. A larger data set might increase the performance of the machine learning models in identifying contamination sources.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.204-212
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• 2023

Whitening is inhibitory activity of the melanin synthesis of melanocytes. Recently, whitening materials have been developed on natural materials because of its side effects on skin. Figs (Ficus Carica L.) is a fruit belonging to the Moraceae family and whitening activity was reported in focusing on the fig's stem and leaf components, but whitening activity of the figs fruit was not known. Thus, in this study, we tried to observe its anti-melanogenesis as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammation. The radical scavenging activity of figs fruits extract (FFE) was observed as the level of 34.52±1.98%/60.71±1.26% compared to the control in the its maximum concentration in the DPPH/ABTS assay. Cytotoxicity of FFE was observed at 10% concentration by CCK8 assay, so the maximum concentration was set at 5% and applied to all experiments. FFE concentration dependently decreased NO production associated with inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α gene expression, these strongly suggesting anti-inflammatory activity. In melanin contents assay, FFE significantly down-regulated melanin production in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cell as well as tyrosinase inhibition in vitro. In addition, FFE decreased the Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) mRNA expression about 94.34% compared to the α-MSH treatment group in RT-PCR. Finally, FFE significantly reduced the MITF, cAMP response element-binding protein and tyrosinase protein expression in the α-MSH stimulated B16F10 cell. Through these results, we found that FFE can not only directly inhibit tyrosinase enzyme activity but also suppress melanogenesis through regulation of MITF gene expression in α-MSH signal transduction.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.334-346
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• 2024

Background: Research on the link between subjective health and unmet healthcare needs is limited. This study examines whether experiences of subjective healthcare needs and unmet needs are related to subjective health in South Korea, where the rate of poor subjective health is notably high. Methods: This analysis utilized data from the Korea Health Panel (2014-2018), incorporating 68,930 observations from 16,535 adults aged 19 or older. The dependent variable, subjective health, was dichotomized into poor (bad or very bad) and non-poor (fair, good, or very good) categories. The primary variables of interest were the experiences of subjective healthcare needs and unmet needs, while control variables included 14 socio-demographic, health, and functional characteristics. The study employed population proportion analysis and multivariable two-level binary logistic regression analysis for each gender, accounting for the complex sampling design. Results: In 2018, the rate of reporting poor health was 8.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.0%-9.5%) for men and 14.7% (95% CI, 13.8%-15.6%) for women. For both genders, compared to individuals whose healthcare needs were met, those without healthcare needs were less likely to report poor subjective health (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.58; 95% CI, 0.39-0.86 for men; AOR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.37-0.93 for women). Conversely, individuals whose healthcare needs were not met were more likely to report poor subjective health (AOR, 2.31; 95% CI, 2.01-2.65 for men; AOR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.98-2.43 for women). A policy simulation indicated that reducing the experience of subjective healthcare needs would be approximately 5 times more effective in reducing poor subjective health than a policy focused on reducing the experience of unmet needs. Conclusion: South Korea must make significant efforts to reduce the deterioration of subjective health and promote appropriate healthcare utilization. To achieve this, a set of policies is recommended to address subjective healthcare needs. These policies should include (1) prompting individuals to proactively manage their own health, (2) providing primary healthcare similar to that in advanced countries, (3) ensuring the healthcare delivery system operates effectively, (4) decentralizing the healthcare management system, and (5) reducing the likelihood of people being misled into thinking they have a healthcare need.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.9
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• pp.85-143
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• 1997

The main purpose of the investigation of an accident caused by aircraft is to be prevented the sudden and casual accidents caused by wilful misconduct and fault from pilots, air traffic controllers, hijack, trouble of engine and machinery of aircraft, turbulence during the bad weather, collision between birds and aircraft, near miss flight by aircrafts etc. It is not the purpose of this activity to apportion blame or liability for offender of aircraft accidents. Accidents to aircraft, especially those involving the general public and their property, are a matter of great concern to the aviation community. The system of international regulation exists to improve safety and minimize, as far as possible, the risk of accidents but when they do occur there is a web of systems and procedures to investigate and respond to them. I would like to trace the general line of regulation from an international source in the Chicago Convention of 1944. Article 26 of the Convention lays down the basic principle for the investigation of the aircraft accident. Where there has been an accident to an aircraft of a contracting state which occurs in the territory of another contracting state and which involves death or serious injury or indicates serious technical defect in the aircraft or air navigation facilities, the state in which the accident occurs must institute an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident. That inquiry will be in accordance, in so far as its law permits, with the procedure which may be recommended from time to time by the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO). There are very general provisions but they state two essential principles: first, in certain circumstances there must be an investigation, and second, who is to be responsible for undertaking that investigation. The latter is an important point to establish otherwise there could be at least two states claiming jurisdiction on the inquiry. The Chicago Convention also provides that the state where the aircraft is registered is to be given the opportunity to appoint observers to be present at the inquiry and the state holding the inquiry must communicate the report and findings in the matter to that other state. It is worth noting that the Chicago Convention (Article 25) also makes provision for assisting aircraft in distress. Each contracting state undertakes to provide such measures of assistance to aircraft in distress in its territory as it may find practicable and to permit (subject to control by its own authorities) the owner of the aircraft or authorities of the state in which the aircraft is registered, to provide such measures of assistance as may be necessitated by circumstances. Significantly, the undertaking can only be given by contracting state but the duty to provide assistance is not limited to aircraft registered in another contracting state, but presumably any aircraft in distress in the territory of the contracting state. Finally, the Convention envisages further regulations (normally to be produced under the auspices of ICAO). In this case the Convention provides that each contracting state, when undertaking a search for missing aircraft, will collaborate in co-ordinated measures which may be recommended from time to time pursuant to the Convention. Since 1944 further international regulations relating to safety and investigation of accidents have been made, both pursuant to Chicago Convention and, in particular, through the vehicle of the ICAO which has, for example, set up an accident and reporting system. By requiring the reporting of certain accidents and incidents it is building up an information service for the benefit of member states. However, Chicago Convention provides that each contracting state undertakes collaborate in securing the highest practicable degree of uniformity in regulations, standards, procedures and organization in relation to aircraft, personnel, airways and auxiliary services in all matters in which such uniformity will facilitate and improve air navigation. To this end, ICAO is to adopt and amend from time to time, as may be necessary, international standards and recommended practices and procedures dealing with, among other things, aircraft in distress and investigation of accidents. Standards and Recommended Practices for Aircraft Accident Injuries were first adopted by the ICAO Council on 11 April 1951 pursuant to Article 37 of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and were designated as Annex 13 to the Convention. The Standards Recommended Practices were based on Recommendations of the Accident Investigation Division at its first Session in February 1946 which were further developed at the Second Session of the Division in February 1947. The 2nd Edition (1966), 3rd Edition, (1973), 4th Edition (1976), 5th Edition (1979), 6th Edition (1981), 7th Edition (1988), 8th Edition (1992) of the Annex 13 (Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation) of the Chicago Convention was amended eight times by the ICAO Council since 1966. Annex 13 sets out in detail the international standards and recommended practices to be adopted by contracting states in dealing with a serious accident to an aircraft of a contracting state occurring in the territory of another contracting state, known as the state of occurrence. It provides, principally, that the state in which the aircraft is registered is to be given the opportunity to appoint an accredited representative to be present at the inquiry conducted by the state in which the serious aircraft accident occurs. Article 26 of the Chicago Convention does not indicate what the accredited representative is to do but Annex 13 amplifies his rights and duties. In particular, the accredited representative participates in the inquiry by visiting the scene of the accident, examining the wreckage, questioning witnesses, having full access to all relevant evidence, receiving copies of all pertinent documents and making submissions in respect of the various elements of the inquiry. The main shortcomings of the present system for aircraft accident investigation are that some contracting sates are not applying Annex 13 within its express terms, although they are contracting states. Further, and much more important in practice, there are many countries which apply the letter of Annex 13 in such a way as to sterilise its spirit. This appears to be due to a number of causes often found in combination. Firstly, the requirements of the local law and of the local procedures are interpreted and applied so as preclude a more efficient investigation under Annex 13 in favour of a legalistic and sterile interpretation of its terms. Sometimes this results from a distrust of the motives of persons and bodies wishing to participate or from commercial or related to matters of liability and bodies. These may be political, commercial or related to matters of liability and insurance. Secondly, there is said to be a conscious desire to conduct the investigation in some contracting states in such a way as to absolve from any possibility of blame the authorities or nationals, whether manufacturers, operators or air traffic controllers, of the country in which the inquiry is held. The EEC has also had an input into accidents and investigations. In particular, a directive was issued in December 1980 encouraging the uniformity of standards within the EEC by means of joint co-operation of accident investigation. The sharing of and assisting with technical facilities and information was considered an important means of achieving these goals. It has since been proposed that a European accident investigation committee should be set up by the EEC (Council Directive 80/1266 of 1 December 1980). After I would like to introduce the summary of the legislation examples and system for aircraft accidents investigation of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Swiss, New Zealand and Japan, and I am going to mention the present system, regulations and aviation act for the aircraft accident investigation in Korea. Furthermore I would like to point out the shortcomings of the present system and regulations and aviation act for the aircraft accident investigation and then I will suggest my personal opinion on the new and dramatic innovation on the system for aircraft accident investigation in Korea. I propose that it is necessary and desirable for us to make a new legislation or to revise the existing aviation act in order to establish the standing and independent Committee of Aircraft Accident Investigation under the Korean Government.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.537-550
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• 2011

This study was conducted to identify behavioral characteristics of salty food intake according to saline sensitivity of adults living in a rural area. Anthropometry and blood pressure were measured and salt intake-related dietary behavior was surveyed by questionnaires through interviews with 402 subjects aged ${\geq}$ 40 years in Chungcheongbuk-Do, Korea. The percentages of overweight and obese among the subjects were 37.8% and 3.8% respectively. Mean blood pressure of the subjects was in the normal range, but the distribution of subjects who were normotensive, high normal, and hypertensive was 48.7%, 17.7%, and 33.6% respectively. Approximately 27% of all subjects habitually consumed salty food, which was the smallest group, followed by 38.1% normal and 35.1% not-salty food. However, 34.6% of the eldest group of ${\geq}$ 65 years consumed salty food. The saline insensitive group showed a higher percentage of irregular meals, overeating, speed-eating, an unbalanced diet, a preference for fried food, and habitual intake of salty foods. These subjects recognized the risk for eating salty food, but they lacked the will to reduce their salty food intake. Compared to spouses and family members, experts such as doctors, nurses, and dieticians were the most influential for reducing the salty food intake of subjects. Saline sensitive group had relatively better control over salty food intake at every meal, eating out, and even when eating salty food that the spouse preferred. The saline sensitive group ate more frequently vegetables and fruits, whereas the saline insensitive group ate more frequently hot spicy foods. In conclusion, the results suggest that it is necessary to establish a social atmosphere toward reducing salt intake at the level of the government and food industry and to set action plans to be available for nutrition education programs to reduce salt intake nationwide.