• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.43
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• pp.103-137
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• 2022

In religious symbology, an emblem is a symbolic mark, which differentiates a religion from other groups. In addition, it holds a symbolic or conceptual character that enables viewers to recognize a certain religion. Daesoon Jinrihoe, a representative order among Korean religious traditions, also has a symbolic mark; however, it has not been designated with an official name as symbol despite its usage dating back to May 11, 1978. At the time, that mark has served as an emblem. Afterwards, the emblem was printed and has been officially used as a flag (unofficially known as the Dao Flag, the Fellowship Flag, etc.) since October 20th of that same year. The emblem of Daesoon Jinrihoe which is not only printed in the flag but has been utilized as a symbolic mark representing the order. Nevertheless, it is hard to find research related to this symbol. Consequently, this study aims to apprehend the existing materials about the flag's emblem and its meaning, as well as attempt to interpret its various implications. Indeed, this work will suggest another point of view about the emblem given that it embraces ambiguity. This research suggests that the emblem symbolically depicts the Daesoon (Great Itineration), Samwon (三圓, Three Circles), Sadae (四大, Four Dae), and the Center, and that, all together, this can imply more profound meanings than were expressed in previously posited explanations. As such, this study draws further significance from Daesoon Thought and find: first, the circle in the center of the emblem signifies the pivot of Daesoon; not just the earthly circle (地圓) or the human circle (人圓). This opens up the possibility that the circle symbolizes Mugeuk (Limitlessness) and Taegeuk (Great Ultimate), which include the pivot of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Secondly, the symbol of soil (土) in the center is separated from the human circle and reveals the symbol of harmony and creation as the rod shape of Four Dae. Thirdly, the protuberances in the circle point to specific directions and this allows for additional layers of meaning.

• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.267-302
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• 2019

Oral literature can largely be categorized into myth, legend, and folktales, which are stories orally transmitted from the prehistoric times. The purpose of this study is to compare the discourse on the oral literature of the East and the West from a cultural studies viewpoint by focusing on its "symbolic systems," particularly "figures of speech," or "tropic traits", in order to utilize this oral literature as a resource in the study of Northeast Asian culture. Undergoing modernization, the symbolic meaning of oral literature has been demythologized both in the West and in Northeast Asia. Of course, oral literature, verbally transmitted over a long period of time, has naturally been changed over time and even "contaminated" in a sense by losing its original archaic archetype while it was textualized with letters during the early period of the modernization process. Nevertheless, the principle of "resemblance" and "similarity" between nature/universe and human/humanity, which has been stripped away in modernity, can still be found in oral literature with its mythic power. For this reason, the study of oral literature in the West has attempted to restore the lost magical power within it, particularly in myth. As such, this study delves into the symbolism of the mythic thought of Northeast Asian countries, namely Korea, China, and Japan, which has been lost in the course of their compressed modernization, in relation to the tropic figures of their oral literatures.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.867-877
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• 2009

These days, the fantastic in opposition to classic beauty becomes a genre of creative body expression. The purpose of this study was to analyze the expressive characteristics of body types and meanings in recent fantastic fashion illustration. The method of this study was to analyze recent documentaries, fashion books, internet web site and so forth. The results were as follows: In literatures, pictures and movies, the category of the fantastic body's expressive types were classified as dominant mutant based on SF, multi body or fragment body by disruption, heterogeneous compound based on myth, personified humanoid and non substance in supernatural boundary. The dominant mutant based on SF was expressed image morphing, composition of machine image with body and modern metamorphosis of classic SF body. It means propensity to post-feminism and reservation of meaning analysis based on human unconsciousness. The multi body or fragment body by disruption in fashion illustration was expressed distorted composition of same body pictures, replacement of different bodies, deconstruction and partial omission of body and composition of meaning or non meaning images. It means permanence of self and basic narcissism. The heterogeneous compound based on myth was expressed general composition or optical illusion of various and aggressive animal motive. It means reinterpretation of original myth, metaphor of basic femme fatale, pursuit of permanence and sign of primitive mind in unconsciousness. The personified humanoid was expressed real human body description of mannequin or ball joint doll and anthropomorphism of robot image. It means representative satisfaction and nostalgia of childhood. The non substance in supernatural boundary was expressed grotesque description of ghost, zombie, vampire, angel, fairy, using of symbolic red, black color and non body. It means human's basic desire about immortality and taboo. Through the result of these study, the expression of fantastic body in fashion illustration will expend expressive method and we will understand human and cultural codes of today.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.111-124
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• 2009

Since the graphics of fashion items as a means to deliver messages suggest practical sections of the society while showing individual ideas and identity, they have values of promotion to attract attention by manifesting an effective function during the process of delivering intentions and the signification. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the characteristics expressed with graphics shown on T-shirts of casual wear out of all the fashion items and analyze the social messages reflected on them. Using the Barthes' system of denotation and connotation, distinguished symbolic functions and meaning among graphics were analyzed through the analysis of expression methods of the graphics as the denotation of initial meaning and connotation of secondary meaning. Each casual brand has led the sale of casual markets by appealing consumers with graphic items with characters printed such as various kinds of animals and symbols or lettering printed such as hieroglyph and logos, as various expressive methods and social significance as well as a effective communicative means of graphics. As examined above, graphics expressed on fashion items have an informative characteristic and a persuasive characteristic in the aspect of contents, which has a single value as a communicative characteristic. Those characteristics have developed into the fashion graphic actively reflecting a designer's conviction, values, feelings and identity by acting on social issues and publicness. That is, in the age of information, effective messages delivered through the fashion graphic to the public have contributed to the establishment of an appropriate atmosphere of visual culture while maximizing the role and function as a social significance.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.353-368
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• 2015

Walter Van Beirendonck expresses a fairy tale world of perverted sexual desire of sadism and masochism, violence, and aggressiveness that breaks from a transient one-time concept as is an essential element of fashion. This study classifies the aesthetic characteristic shown on the design of Walter Van Beirendonck and analyzes the intent of his symbolism and meaning. The attempt has a meaning in exploring a new directionality of fashion by conveying a critical message to this end, contemporary fashion breaks down boundaries with artistic genre and connects a problematic consciousness that exists in life with fashion. The results of study on the aesthetic characteristics of Walter Van Beirendonck are as follows. First, Beirendonck emphasized an interpersonal image about body by giving a question through the deconstruction of image on a perfect body into race, age, and body based on body modification. Second, fetishism appeared as a consciousness that human identity and character can be changed by connecting a fetish element of sexual identity, and sadism and masochism with fashion's imagination. Third, infantilism as an amusement expression of the form metaphorically satirized life of modern people. Fourth, makeup shown on performance or festival of an African tribe was used in the way of mixture or reuse for ethnography to obtain inspiration from ethnography. Fifth, pop art combined a popular culture code as amusement through mass production and mass media. Aesthetics of Beirendonck do not have norm and are bold in using form, color, pattern, print, and styling because Beirendonck reinterpreted critical attitudes about essential problems that human life entails into a motif of his symbolic meaning in amusement. In regards to his design aesthetics, Beirendonck expanded fashion to the scope of Gesamtkunstwerk in a consistent and continued theme combined with philosophical creativity and differentiated from other fashion designers.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.61-70
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• 2009

Rapid social changes and scientific advances of the $21^{th}c$ have brought on a major paradigm shift towards consilience, making boundaries more or less irrelevant. In the field of architecture, this is manifested in the emergence of colors that can be described as 'being aleatory', 'non-formal', 'non-deterministic' and 'perpetually evolving'. Contemporary architectural colors are not definitively fixed. They are rather liquid and metaphorical. Whereas the more traditional architectural colors have delivered clearly and precisely the intended symbolic meaning and visual information, those of today are less definitive and embody a more liquid and conceptual value system. This paper discusses the denoted signification and the meaning effect of the metaphorical color system found in contemporary architecture. This paper analyzes works of architecture from the late 20th century, when dramatic change sin architectural color system surfaced, to the more contemporary creations. Here, three categories of color are suggested, namely material color, spatial color and liquid color. Each categories considered in connection with deconstruction, holistic interactivity and the multiplicity of meanings that may result as information from the external world is perceived as stimulus to the inner mind. Contemporary architectural color scheme is characterized by its unpredictable vagueness of meaning, synesthetic engagement of imagination and chance, and expansion of the inner and outer world, all of which contribute to a metaphorical effect. The metaphorical color system of contemporary architecture can be classified into three dimensions, and it connects with human consciousness and amplifies itself through flexible and fluid communication. In this process non-physical colors materially serve as formal logic and room for varied interpretation of architectural space and our conceptual framework.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.56-68
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• 2016

Popular culture has symbolic meaning and has been constructed through different mass media. Newspapers played a significant role in 1950s and 1960s public culture. In particular, editorial cartoons in newspapers expressed social aspects of the age implicitly through satire and criticism. This study examines delivered culture by reflecting the past social aspects and inquiring on clothing featured in the editorial cartoon "Gobau". As for a research method, literature research was conducted on clothing of the age with a review of "Gobau". As for a research range, examination was done based on the complete works of Gobau composed of 5 volumes published as a first edition by Hankookmunhwasa on November, 1973. Early "Gobau" cartoons from 1951-1963 were published in 5 volumes; therefore, research was conducted for the era from 1950s to the early 1960s. Clothing expressed in "Gobau" were reviewed, classified into formative characteristics and internal meaning. Internal meaning was examined by dividing into the expression of social aspects and criticism of society. The research findings are as follows. First, clothing in "Gobau" reflected characteristic in direct manner. There was a coexistence of Hanbok and western-styled, clear distinction between men's trousers and women's skirt. Besides, various kinds of women's western-styled dress appeared in the 1960s. Second, they showed the dress culture that reflected past social aspects. Many aspects were included to reconstruct old and worn clothes due to scarce resources after the Korean War, and cherishing clothes, buying fabric directly to making clothes, making clothes from dressmaking shop, and restrictions on imported goods and luxury items. Third, the study also examined the social norms for fashion. It contained negative perspectives on women wearing pants, short skirts, and new hair styles (like perms) from western culture as well as lipstick.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2008

People have used the manner of expression "clothing" to find out and to symbolize the styles that suits one's roles, behaviors or altitudes. Moreover, the symbolic meaning of clothing is important as it reflects the culture of a time period as well at the life style of each classes of society. In the aspect in which clothing is critical data to re-examine a time period as to trace history, clothing is significant for understanding the characteristics of each time periods, and by focusing on women's wedding dress, a costume worn for one of the most essential ceremonies in one's life, this article studies how trends of each period have been symbolized through clothing. Thus, this study aims to set a foundation to understand the cultural features of a time period through the wedding ceremony. The article inquires about the hwalot to also understand its meaning during the period of its existence, and develops designs for modern wedding dresses for women. I. The wedding dress of women expressed the following meanings by using shapes, colors and patterns of the hwalot. 1) The formative art of hwalot is the ultimate beauty. 2) The wedding dress of women emphasized aesthetics. 3) The symbols praying for harmony between red and indigo, or the union of yin and yang indicates that marriage had been considered as a precious ceremony-an important matter of life. 4) The meaning of good auspice such as health, longevity, immortality, good luck and stability had been frequently used since people sought for new and eternal life. 5) The symbols of wealth and fame have been frequently used by those pursuing a wealthy life. 6) Marriage was considered as a union of families, and not a union of two individuals. II. This article presents two types of modern wedding dresses.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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• no.35
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• pp.373-404
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• 2017

As an art, Korean dance is a history, a tradition, and a continuing activity of consciousness. It is a present and future activity in the past that will continue the identity of Korean people. So storytelling is not just a description of the historical background, but of eternity that is being recreated. From this study, the inquiry of artistic beauty of Korean traditional dance is questioning the original essence and value of 'storytelling' through old tradition and historical art. If the study of the Korean dance among them was a study of the theorists for the aesthetic essence or the ideological system, the point of view of the storytelling of the Korean dance is that the public understanding about the core structure and reason of Korean dance and the study of the humanistic value It reminded me of a desperate attitude. The meaning of this study is to verify the usefulness of storytelling as a way to construct various contents of Korean dance in conceptual definition of storytelling. In the symbolic meaning of Korean dance, Cheoyongmu text formed the deep meaning network of the original art beyond the linguistic narrative structure and suggested the importance of storytelling development as DB of original contents.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.31-43
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• 2021

This study analyzes the characteristics of fashion flex, which have recently spread on social media. The study was conducted with big data analysis that derived flex keywords from news articles and social media as well as case studies that collected 136 posted images on Instagram to analyze the content. The meaning of flex was positively accepted based on big data results. Flex was also a buzzword frequently used on social media as well as a symbolic meaning when discussing luxury goods or fashion brand experiences. The characteristics of fashion flex in social media were largely divided into three categories. First, conspicuous consumption is considered an active expression of individual fashion tastes or self-oriented consumption and emphasizes individuality through consumption. The second characteristic is that the public actively participates in events or fashion flex challenges. People use similar fashion styles or products to participate in playful social interactions with others using various Instagram functions. Finally, acts of pursuing psychological well-being in social media were used as the term flex in a broad sense and were shown to actively explore fashion-related materials and experiences for individual happiness. This study found that the meaning of existing conspicuous consumption is transforming into positive consumption, such as the expression of taste-based identity or the seeking of fun and psychological well-being. It is also meaningful that fashion has become an effective means to express individuality and taste in expressing flex.