• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.42 no.1 s.118
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• pp.41-62
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• 2007

This paper aims to interpret the changes of the regional inequality between Seoul Metropolitan Area(SMA) and Non-SMA after 1981 on the regulationist approaches that examine institution changes and power dynamics that motivate regional disparities in South Korea. Despite the restrict laws and aims that alms to reduce the concentration into SMA before 1988, the acts were not executed effectively due to the structural selectivity of the bureaucratic authoritarian state of those years. Thus, the regional concentration phenomena of SMA was intensified in the 1980s. However, the democratization in 1987 invoked Non-SMA regions to claim their regional development and it also forced the state to mediate the conflicting interests between the regional agents protesting the SMA concentration and the Capital agents supporting the SMA deregulation. From the early 1990s. the state launched a series of national strategies and policies to diminish regional inequality. They included execution of the existing acts mitigating SMA concentration and construction of industrial complexes in the underdeveloped areas of Non-SMA. Thus, the equalizing polities led the reduction of the concentration of SMA from 1989 to 1997. However, the financial crisis of Korea in 1997 intensified the claims of the Capital agents to deregulate the SMA control. The circumstance also forced the state towards the Capital side that request the deregulation of SMA control. As the result, the regional disparity between SMA and Non-SMA has been enlarged again since 1998.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.330-342
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• 2016

The aim of this article is to explore some issues on the uneven regional development in the Republic of Korea. Along with this, case studies on the United Kingdom and Italy are conducted in terms of their wealth, inequality and regional development. In the period of 1995~2003, the UK experienced the intensified uneven regional development and continuous increase of its index due in the main to the delayed revitalization of industrial decline regions, neo-liberalistic local labour market and industrial policies, and institutional instability of regional policies. In the case of Italy, it seemed to experience relatively stable regional convergence. However, this was caused by the continuous decline of major metropolitan areas such as large cities, Milan, Turin, Genoa, to name but a few. The Republic of Korea experienced 'economic growth with spatial and social disparities.' Since 2003 the uneven regional development has intensified. Towards regional convergence, new engines of regional development, the investment in the specialization of small and medium cities, and supportive policies for industrial restructuring regions are required.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.6_1
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• pp.1647-1656
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• 2021

In order to reduce the spread of infection due to COVID-19, South Korea has established a four-step social distancing standard and implemented it by changing the steps based on the rate of confirmed cases. The implementation of social distancing brought about a change in the amount of activity of citizens by limiting social contact such as movement and gathering of people. One of the data that can intuitively confirm this is Night Time Light (NTL). NTL is a variable that can measure the size of the national economy measured using lights captured by satellites, and can be used to understand people's social activities during the night. The NTL visible data is obtained via the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day-Night Band (DNB) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) satellite. 1023 of Suomi data from 1 January 2019 until 26 October 2021 were collected to generate time series of NTL radiance change over Seoul to analyze the correlation with social distancing policy. The results show that implementing the level of social distancing generally decreased the NTL radiance both in spatial disparities and temporal patterns. The higher level of policy, limiting human activities combined with the low number of people who have been vaccinated and the closure of various facilities. Because of social distancing, the differences in human activities affected the nighttime light during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Seoul, South Korea. Therefore, this study can be used as a reference for the government in evaluating and improving policies related to efforts reducing the transmission of COVID-19.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.67-88
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• 2013

The purpose of this study empirically examines the pattern of regional disparities on the level of development in China's eastern, central, western and northeast regions for the period 1978-2012. To do this, it test Williamson's inverted-U hypothesis and Amos' augmented inverted-U hypothesis, focusing on polarization, polarization reversal, and spatial restructuring. Results of study are as follows: In the absolute economic disparity(AED) models of per capita income within a region, the Williamson's inverted-U hypothesis was supported in the eastern region, central region and inter-region model. The central region and the western region supports Williamson's hypothesis in the case of the relative economic disparity(RED). On the other hand, The inter-region model and the western region supports Amos' augmented inverted-U hypothesis in model of per capita income. In the urban-rural income economic disparity model, the inter-region model of AED and the central region of RED supports Amos' augmented inverted-U hypothesis. But the Williamson's inverted-U hypothesis was supported in the inter-region model and the western region in RED.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.56 no.10
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• pp.631-639
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• 2023

Flash drought (FD), characterized by the rapid onset and intensification, can significantly impact ecosystems and induce immediate water stress. A more comprehensive understanding of the causes and characteristics of FD events is required to enhance drought monitoring. Therefore, we investigated the FD events took place over the Korean peninsula using Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) data from 2012 to 2022. We first detected FD events using the stress-based method (Standardized Evaporative Stress Ratio, SESR), and analyzed the frequency and duration of FDs. The FD events were classified into three cases based on the variations in Actual Evapotranspiration (AET) and potential Evapotranspiration (PET), and spatially analyzed. Results revealed that there are regional disparities in frequency and duration of FDs, with a mean frequency of 6.4 and duration of 31 days. When classified into Case 1 (normal condition), Case 2 (AET-driven), and Case 3 (PET-driven), we found that Case 2 FDs emerged approximately 1.5 times more frequently than those driven by PET (Case 3) across the Korean peninsula. Case 2 FDs were found to be induced under water-limited conditions, and led both AET and PET to be decreased. Conversely, Case 3 FDs occurred under energy-limited conditions, with increase in both. Case 2 FDs predominantly affected the northwestern and central-southern agricultural regions, while Case 3 occurred in the eastern region, characterized by forested land cover. These findings offers insights into our understanding of FDs over the Korean peninsula, considering climate factors, land cover, and water availability.