• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.67-90
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• 2007

Could STS throw another-colored light on the Hwang's Affair, the scientific fraud committed by Hwang Woo-Suk and his research team in Korea? And could analytic tools of STS unfold another meanings which have been overlooked in most of the traditionally social-sciences-oriented analyses? In this essay, I try to answer these questions by analyzing the Hwang's Affair in the view of STS, especially by using some concepts of actor-network theory(ANT): movement, translation and displacement. I want to say that the Hwang's Affair seems to be a part of normal scientific activity, not an abnormal phenomenon, and as an evidence, focus on the similarities of their life styles between "pure/real scientist" Louis Pasteur and "impure/political scientist" Hwang Woo-Suk. I try to mobilize some concepts of ANT, especially movement, and find out why scientists came to move toward the opposed direction on the pure/real-impure/political line. I suggest that there exists "laboratory politics" as the key factor in this bifurcation. My tentative conclusion is that Pasteur can take a position to make his great world, so-called the Pasteurian world, owing to the success of "double movement" in which he treated his laboratory as a fulcrum to lift up the world, but Hwang degrades himself to "ugly scientific politician" due to the loss of the momentum of his movement; Hwang treated his laboratory only as the symbolic resources and in turn failed to solidify material entities, his real political resources, even though he knew the importance of laboratory.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.181-214
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• 2015

This study analyzed the characteristics of the politics of technoscience and governance in South Korea, taking advantage of the policy changes on the stem cell research after Hwang's affair. In spite of generally accepted conventional wisdom that stem cell research had been suffering 'crisis' after the Hwang's affair, South Korea succeeded in developing the first and the largest stem cell product in the world. However, considering the fact that the stem cell research capabilities and technological competitiveness of Korea have been assessed as relatively low compared to the development performance, there is a need to extrapolate how such result could be achieved. To answer these questions, we analyzed changes in the R&D expenditure before and after the scandal and verified the 'crisis of stem cell research' following the reduction of financial support from government. From the analysis of literature on the policy reports and news, we described the process of discourse changes in policy and analyzed the characteristics of the politics of technoscience and governance of stem cell research. This study emphasized that the government R&D and regulation policy play the key roles in the development of stem cell research rather than in the technological competitiveness in South Korea. Furthermore, this study argued that democratic governance still does not work under the policy conditions that technocratic decision-making of stem cell research fails to learn from the Hwang's affairs.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.86-108
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• 2001

This study was performed to examine the annual experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom and its related factors in rural farmers. Six-hundred and sixty one rural farmers were investigated by questionnaire survey through interview from July 1 to July 31 in 2000. The results were as follows; The rural farmers who had experienced musculoskeletal symptom during recent 1 year was 82.7% in male, 92.1% in female. The annual experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom by part of the body in male were turned out as back; 42.3% leg and knee; 36.4%, shoulder; 21.4%, arm and hand; 12.7%, elbow; 7.7%, hip; 6.8% neck; 6.4%, ankle and foot; 6.4% in order. The annual experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom by part of the body in female were turned out as back; 59.4%, leg and knee; 48.5%, shoulder; 20.2%, arm and hand; 13.8%, hip; 10.7%, neck; 6.8%, ankle and foot; 6.3%, elbow; 5.0% in order. The annual experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom, back pain, and pain on leg and knee were significantly higher in female. In male, the experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom was different significantly according to educational level, family size, economic status, status of smoking, duration of farming, type of major agricultural affairs. By the multiple logistic regression analysis for experience of musculoskeletal symptom, family size and economic status were the significant variables. It was higher in male with no or one family living together and low economic status. In female, the experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom was different significantly according to body mass index, perceived health status, type of agricultural affairs. By the multiple logistic regression analysis for experience of musculoskeletal symptom, body mass index, perceived health status, and type of major agricultural affairs were the significant variables. It was higher as female farmer's body mass index was increasing and when female farmer's perceived health status was not healthier, and it was lower when female farmer did livestock farming as major agricultural affair. The experience rate of musculoskeletal symptom was higher in the busy season for farmers and treatment methods for musculoskeletal symptom were physical therapy, medication, herb medical treatment, etc. In conclusion, because most of farmers experience musculoskeletal symptom, continuous systematic study on musculoskeletal symptom of farmers and active effort to prevent and manage musculoskeletal symptom of farmers are necessary.