• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.301-310
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• 2020

Background: In this study, we aimed to investigate the recent trends for health care indicators including maternal mortality ratio, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate, life expectancy, years of life lost, and healthcare resources in South Korea, North Korea, Germany, Russian Federation, Mongolia, Vietnam, China, Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. Methods: We used data from five sources: World Health Organization, Federal Institute for Population Research, World Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development health statistics, and national statistics. Results: In the early 1990s, health indicators continued to improve in countries that switched to the health insurance system, but the gap widened in North Korea as health indicators worsened. Conclusion: The establishment of a sustainable health care system after unification of the Korean peninsula requires substantial changes in the health care system and efforts to improve the health of North Koreans.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.209-217
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• 2020

North Korea has steadily implemented defense reforms to strengthen its national defense capabilities, and in particular, has made military technology development and military industrial capability strengthening as the focus of national defense reform. North Korea's defense reform ultimately aimed at securing nuclear posture, and as technical achievements accumulated in the Kim Jung-Un era, it led to the development of military strength such as hydrogen bombs and ICBM/SLBM. Having secured nuclear capability, North Korea is also pursuing a symmetricality in the conventional military strength by securing a strategic advantage by pursuing the modernization of the conventional weapon systems through defense reform again. Up to now, North Korea's defense reform has succeeded in establishing a new ruling system for Kim Jung-Un and creating a driving force for negotiations with the United States.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2021

North Korea's science and technology policies are being pursued under strong leadership and control by the central government. In particular, a large part of the research and development of science and technology related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution in North Korea is controlled and absorbed by the defense organizations under the national defense-oriented policy framework, among which North Korea is making national efforts to develop advanced technologies in artificial intelligence and actively utilize them in the military affairs. The future weapon system based on AI will have superior performance and destructive power that is different from modern weapons systems, which is likely to change the paradigm of the future battlefield, so a thorough analysis and prediction of the level of AI militarization technology, the direction of development, and AI-based weapons system in North Korea is needed. In addition, research and development of South Korea's corresponding weapon systems and military science and technology are strongly required as soon as possible. Therefore, in this paper, we will analyze the level of AI technology, the direction of AI militarization, and the AI-based weapons system in North Korea, and discuss the AI military technology and corresponding weapon systems that South Korea military must research and develop to counter the North Korea's. The next study will discuss the analysis of AI militarization technologies not only in North Korea but also in neighboring countries in Northeast Asia such as China and Russia, as well as AI weapon systems by battlefield function, detailed core technologies, and research and development measures.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.155-177
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• 1991

The promotion of economic exchange and cooperation between North and South Korea is significant in two ways. First, the pursuit of economic interest can lead gradually to the unification of the national economies. Second, economic relations can serve as the first stride toward political reunification. There are, however, many difficulties in conceiving a strategy for economic cooperation between North and South Korea because of their differences in ideology and socio-economic system. Under these circumstances, a bid by either the North or the South to consider its specific ideology or socio-economic system absolute and to impose them on the other side would inevitably lead to confrontation and collision and deepen the division of the country. Therefore, steps to expand and develop economic and technological cooperation and comprehensive exchanges between the North and the South, with due regard to the development of bilateral relations, are in full accord with the interests of the both sides. It is clear that North Korea's changing attitude toward its environmental conditions is neither a policy of opening nor an ideological shift toward pragmatism, as has occurred in the Eastern European countries. Instead, it is a temporary tactic for breaking out of the economic stagnation caused by its rigid economic structure. In this light, we must.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2019

The North Korean laws on natural environments, land and infrastructure were comprehensively analyzed in order to help establish the legal system to solve problems of ecosystem and land management in North Korea. The citizen's environmental rights in North Korean Constitutional Law emphasize the aspect of conservation of the natural environments. The laws on the managements of natural environments and land are relatively integrated in North Korea. In the management of natural environments, ecosystem conservation is centered on designation of natural protected areas. Priority for infrastructure construction is emphasized in land management. The economic and technical support is needed to build advanced legal systems for the conservation of natural environments and ecological land management and to improve their performance of law enforcement.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.377-413
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• 2004

North Korea and South Korea agreed to refer their investment disputes to arbitration by adopting' Agreed Minutes on Procedures of Settlement of Commercial Disputes' on 16th December 2000. According to the Agreed Minutes, the two Koreas were to establish an arbitration commission within 6 months after the Agreed Minutes had been signed. In 2002, North Korea enacted laws to draw interest of foreign tourists to Mountain Kumgang and to boost investment into the region of Kaesung as it provided in those laws that commercial disputes should be settled by arbitration or judicial procedures. In October 2003, the two Koreas succeeded in adopting another Agreed Minutes as to the establishment and functioning of North-South Arbitration Commission. The fact that the two Koreas have agreed to establish an arbitration commission is meaningful since they are leading their lives quite differently in political, social, and economic sense for more than a half century. Although there still remain doubts as to the North Korean policy on nuclear matters, an arbitration commission could be a cornerstone for the set-up of the dispute settlement system between the two Koreas and a great help for investors from South Korea to pursue their possible legal claims as North Korea is eager to invite South Korean businessmen and other foreign investors to invest in its special economic areas. According to the Agreed Minutes of 2003, the two Koreas are going to adopt procedural rules for the arbitration commission. It will be a great challenge for them to agree on specific issues as to the operation of the arbitration commission. They have to set up a rester of arbitrators respectively and may have to enact or revise their own arbitration laws and rules reflecting the Agreed Minutes of 2000 and 2003. It is quite welcome that the two Koreas have agreed to set up an arbitration commission rather than resort to political or diplomatic means to settle their disputes. The success of the arbitration system between the two Koreas will make sure the safety of investment environment in the northen part of the Korean Peninsula and will bring the peace to the Korean peninsula earlier than expected.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.95-98
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• 2018

Recently, South and North Korea summits agreed to implement the cooperation and promotion of medical healthcare at the third inter-Korean summit in Pyeongyang on September 18, 2018. Therefore, the South Korean government and its affiliated organizations have been looking for ways to establish a specific plan for support and exchanges in the field of healthcare and medical technology. In the background of the above new policy, radiation medicine technology can also contribute to the exchange in the field of healthcare and science & technology for the peaceful coexistence of one Korea. In this review, we analyzed and showed the status of healthcare and radiation medicine infrastructure in North Korea in order to further develop a plan to share the benefits of radiation medicine with North Korea in the exchange of healthcare and science & technology.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.1-13
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to examine the main features of South Korea's New Northern Policy and to make some suggestions for cooperation with neighboring countries' initiatives. The New Northern Policy encompasses the whole of Eurasia, but the starting development area would be the border region of the Korean Peninsula. In this viewpoint, this study examines the Belt and Road Initiative of China, the New Eastern Policy of Russia and the Steppe Road Initiative of Mongolia, and presents the characteristics, problems and some implementation strategies of the New Northern Policy. Apart from the future possibilities of the regional cooperations that include North Korea, it would be necessary for South Korea to secure and expand the possible opportunities for "Korea-China-Mongolia-Russia" cooperation. In order to create a close cooperative environment with North Korea in the future, it would also be necessary to build a maritime route, with port development around major border regions on the Korean Peninsula, including Russia, and to develop the port-railway intermodal transportation system with neighboring countries. South Korea need to actively cooperate with neighboring countries to develop the new Eurasia logistics routes would be more favorable to the Korean Peninsula in preparation for the time when the North Korean nuclear issue will be resolved.

• Psychiatry investigation
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.1019-1029
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• 2018

Objective We investigated how mental health awareness among North Korean refugees transformed depending on temporal-spatial context changes. Methods In 2013, we conducted interviews with 10 refugees (eight women) who had been in South Korea for over a year and performed a qualitative analysis of the change in mental health awareness in the differences between living in North Korea, escape (a related period of forced sojourn in a third country), and settlement in South Korea. Results We classified 39 concepts into five main categories. The first two categories (while living in North Korea) were "a mindset for the system, but not for individual mental health" and "being confined in a social environment that was indifferent to mental health." A third category appeared during escape: "focusing on survival amid continuity of intense suffering." The final two categories appeared when settling in South Korea: "recognition of mental health amid cultural shock" and "introspection and sorting oneself out." Conclusion This qualitative study enabled a better multi-dimensional understanding of the social and cultural aspects involved in improving mental health awareness among North Korean refugees in South Korea. It is desirable to integrate mental health as a part of daily life and to expand training for North Korean settlers.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.332-333
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• 2000