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Does Altai Exist?: Area Studies and the Meaning of "Area" (알타이는 존재하는가: 지역연구와 지역의 의미)

  • Nam, Youngho
    • Journal of International Area Studies (JIAS)
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.135-156
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    • 2010
  • While there are a few ways of giving meanings to the term, "Altai" ranging from a language family to a national residing around the Altai Mountains in Russian Federation, and to the people speaking the language or the whole area where they live, there have been controversial debates whether it is a meaningful categorization. This paper argues that the basic cause lying beneath the controversies is the underdevelopment of the subject that identifies itself as a representative of the whole area where the Altaic language family is spoken. It might be true, as some Korean and Russian scholars insist, that what deserves to be called Altaic culture (or civilization) has provided a common culture and mutual interactions with the people. However, the Altaic people failed to constitute themselves as a meaningful modern group, that is a nation, and they did not fully develop national consciousness, As a result, although their way of life may be regarded as an origin of various cultures across North-East Asia, Altaic culture is not sufficient to give a momentum to claim for cultural initiative in the region. This comes at least partly from the reconfiguration of ethnic identity through a Soviet type of modernization and its geopolitical situation surrounded by super-powers such as China and Russia, as well as belated import of religions such as Buddhism and Christianity. From a wide perspective, the trouble about delimiting an area is not unique in Altai, but universally found in anywhere, as far as area studies are concerned. The delimitation of an area is not a natural outcome of physical environment but an artificial production of how cultural-political relationships have been distributed. Therefore, while the case of Alai has its own specificities, its implications that a national or regional boundary in area studies should not be taken for granted may be applied to other areas.

The Minority's struggle for recognition in the life history of Korean-Chinese female leaders (재한 중국동포 여성단체장의 생애사에 나타난 소수자의 인정투쟁)

  • Huang, Haiying;Kim, Youngsoon
    • Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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    • v.7 no.9
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    • pp.509-518
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    • 2017
  • The purpose of this study is to investigate the experience of recognition struggle, which is a positive interaction with Korean society, through the life history research of the researcher ' The study was conducted as a narrative - life history analysis method. Life history data were collected through in-depth interviews. As a result of the study, the lifetime of the life history research subject, as a result of the constant challenge, considered Korea as the opportunity land and voluntarily migrated to Korea. He can analyze Korea as a fierce life to gain recognition by utilizing positive adaptation strategies. In other words, through the positive interaction of recognition struggle, he negotiated with the mainstream society and established his identity through positive experiences. In addition, through group activities, we have endeavored to protect the rights of the individual as well as the whole society and to improve the image and to integrate with the mainstream society. Through this reconstruction of life history, we can understand the life situation of Chinese leaders and know about the qualities they want to receive in Korean society. Therefore, it is suggested that this reconstruction of life history implies social welfare practice.

An attempt to the possible link between vocational ability improvement and educational·training projects - Based on lifelong education and regional employment - (직업능력향상과 교육·훈련사업의 연계 가능성 탐색 - 평생교육분야와 지역고용사업을 중심으로-)

  • Yeo, Shang Woon;Chen, Dan;Park, Changun
    • Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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    • v.8 no.6
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    • pp.407-416
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    • 2018
  • The study aims to explore the possible link between lifelong education and local education·training projects to enhance vocational skills. To this end, we first looked at vocational training in lifelong educational institutions. We looked at the areas of lifelong education presented by the Lifelong Education Act and the status of job improvement in them, as well as the actual number of learners across the country. Next, we looked at local education training projects. In this case, We investigated the significance and type of education·training projects, and identified the number of programs and the number of learners. Looking at them, we looked for five possibilities the possible link of between vocational abilities and educational·training projects. The five were to strengthen employment related lifelong learning of the economically inactive population, to strengthen lifelong education related to the underprivileged people, to enhance vocational skills for lifelong education centered on the employed, to utilize lifelong education institutions and universities in the region, and to strengthen the role of local governments to guide local job demands and suppliers.

Serum Immunoglobulin levels in Coal Worker's Pneumoconiosis Patients (진폐증 환자에서의 혈청 면역 글로불린의 변화)

  • Yoo, Kwang-Ha;Ahn, Chul-Min;Kim, Hyung-Joong;Kim, Young-Ho;Lee, Yong-Kyoo;Kim, Sung-Kyu;Lee, Won-Young
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.46 no.2
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    • pp.165-174
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    • 1999
  • Background: Coal-worker's pneumoconiosis(CWP) is radiologically divided into two major groups: simple pneumoconiosis (SP), in which small, rounded or irregular opacities smaller than 1cm are observed, and progressive massive fibrosis(PMF), which is characterized by opacities larger than 1cm. SP has a life expectancy equivalent to miners with no radiographic evidence of CWP, but PMF is associated with more obvious impairments of ventilatory capacity and premature death. But only minority of workers develop PMF when exposed to dust concentrations similar to those experienced by workers who develop only SP. In this study, immune status in patients with CWP were evaluated by measurement of the serum immunoglobulin levels between control, SP and PMF groups. Method: Coal workers selected for this study were emplyees of the Tae-Baek and Dong-Hae Hospital. All the patients were men of 45-76 years old and the mean duration of exposure to coal dust were 23.2 years. By X-ray examination, 51 patients were classified in SP, 59 in PMF category. The normal controls examined were 58 men of 26-70 years old. Serum Ig levels were estimated by using Nephelometer(Behring Nephelometer : Germany) and serum were collected 51 in SP, 49 in PMF and 57 cases in control group. Results: The levels of IgG were increased but the levels of IgM were decreased with increasing age in control groups. There were no statistical difference of immunoglobulin levels between smokers and nonsmokers in control groups. There were no statistical difference of immunoglobulin levels between Control, SP and PMF groups. Multiple regression analysis were undertaken to determine the statistical significance of the apparent trends and estimate the effects associated with age, smoking habit and radiological category of CWP. According to this analysis, the levels of IgG were decreased significantly in SP group and had decreasing tendancy, but not statistically significant in PMF group. Conclusion : From the observations described, CWP patients had decreased IgG concentration compared to control gorup. Therefore, there was some relation between CWP and immunoglobulin concentration.

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Comparison of Awareness of Symptoms and Illness Between Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Simple Snoring (수면무호흡증과 단순 코골이 환자의 증상과 질환 인식도 비교)

  • Lee, Seyoung;Kang, Jae Myeong;Cho, Yoon-Soo;Yoon, Hyun Jin;Kim, Ji-Eun;Shin, Seung-Heon;Park, Kee Hyung;Kim, Seon Tae;Kang, Seung-Gul
    • Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.16-24
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    • 2016
  • Background and Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often undiagnosed but is an important risk factor affecting the health of an individual. The level of awareness of the illness among patients with OSA is low and is not correlated with severity of the illness. This study was conducted to compare awareness of OSA symptoms and illness between patients with OSA and simple snorers. Materials and Methods: Two hundred eighty-two patients who were suspected of having OSA participated in this study. All subjects underwent overnight polysomnography. Those with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ${\geq}5$ were classified as the OSA group, while those with an AHI < 5 were classified as the simple snoring group. A sleep questionnaire, which included items on awareness of the illness, OSA, and sleep symptoms, was administered to all subjects and their bed-partners. Results: Simple snorers were much more aware of their symptoms such as snoring, irregular breathing, and apnea than were patients with OSA. Bed-partners of simple snorers were also more aware of the participants' sleep symptoms than were partners of patients with OSA. However, the duration of OSA symptoms was longer in the OSA group. In the correlation analysis, the level of awareness of OSA symptoms was negatively correlated with AHI, age, body mass index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale score. Among the sleep questionnaire and polysomnography results, only Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was positively correlated with level of awareness of OSA symptoms. The minority of the respondents had heard about the treatment methods of continuous positive airway pressure and oral appliance and preferred them as treatment options. Conclusion: This study suggests that simple snorers are more aware of their symptoms than are patients with OSA. A higher severity of OSA, represented by a higher AHI, is correlated with lower awareness of one's OSA symptoms.

Labor market characteristics of US metropolitan areas and individual earnings attainment : Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics (미국 대도시지역 노동시장의 특성과 취업 노동자의 개인소득 : 백인, 흑인, 동양인과 남미인)

  • ;Kwon, Sangcheol
    • Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.169-187
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    • 1995
  • Contemporary US metropolitan areas have undergone divergent economic transformation, and as a result labor markets have become the focus of concern in their role as determinants of earnings attainment. Explanations of individual earnings attainmnent as a lobor market outcome have been established in two diafferent stances one who emphasizes personal or group attributes in the human capital perspective and the other who emphasizes economic structure in the labor market segmentation perspective. While remaining at the conceptual level and yet relatively unexplored, the importance of place in labormarket operation is a significant advancement as it appears in labor market areas and local labor markets considering that labor market areas represent the intersection of labor market structure and individual labor market experiences at specific geographic places. The substantive inquiry of this study was to explore labor market characteristics and their differentiation across large metropolitan areas, and assess their effects on the individual earnings attainment. Integating individual attributes and labor market characteristics as major factors of labor market operation, this study intended to contextualize individual earnings attainment with geographic labor market areas. Using 1990 US population census 5% "Public-Use Microdata Samples, " the largest 65 metropolitan areas were first selected and employed male workers who are aged between 25 and 50 for whites, blacks, asians, and hispanics. As an initial step earnings differentials between racial/ethnic groups and selected 65 metropolitan areas were examined using analysis of variance, and then earnings differentials were attributed to the individual attributes such as education, age, and immigration status, and four dimensions of metropolitan labor market differentiation devised by principal component analysis of industrial and occupational segments: Public versus Blue Collar Core(CS1), Finance-Core Utility versus Blue Collar Local Monopoly (CS2), Oligopoly versus Blue Collar Periphery(CS3), and Self Employed-White Collar Periphery versus Low-Skill Core(CS4). As a final analysis, individual earnings were related to each individual attribute and its interaction with metropolitan labor market characteristics to examine how the differentiated metropolitan labor market characteristics alter the role of individual attributes on earnings attainment. The findings indicated that individual attributes, education in particular exert significant effects on earnings attainment, but their effects were significantly altered by metropolitan labor market characterristics. Particularly important dimensions were: Oligopoly differentiated from Blue Colla Periphery metropolitan areas enhancing earnings returns to individual attributes for all groups but minority groups (black, asians, hispanics) rely more on this, and Finance-Core Utility differentiated from Blue Collar Local Monopoly metropolitan areas provide higher earnings returns to whites exclusively. These findings suggest that individuals with identical individual attributes involving racial/ethnic categories would have different earnings atteinments depending on the metropolitan labor market characteristics where they reside. Referring back to the major traditions of the human capital and the labor market segmentation in labor market research, the interaction between individual attributes and metropolitan labor market haracteristics on earnings attainment highlights the complimentary nature of the two on earnings determination in particular geographic places, Hence, labor market characteristics differentiatcd across metropolitan areas are an integral part of labor market operation which should be considered for the explanation of individual earnings attainment and racial/ethnic group earnings differentials. Gcographic places are the important contexts for labor market segmentation and individual labor market experiences. In conclusion, this study brings geographic labor markets to the forefront in the examination of individuals' earnings attainments. The empirical vaidation of the role of metropolitan labor market charecteristics on earnings attainment, while exploratory contributes towards a broader perspective of geographic labor market research that recognizes that individuals' labor market experiences are intertwined with geographic contexts of labor market operatin. operatin.

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Dual Faces of Nationalism reflected in Contemporary Korean Art and Society (현대 한국미술과 민족주의란 두 개의 얼굴)

  • Choi, Tae-Man
    • The Journal of Art Theory & Practice
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    • no.4
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    • pp.145-180
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    • 2006
  • In Korea, nation and nationalism are undeniable justice, absolute virtue and moreover system of desire. From the late Chosun Dynasty when the Korean Peninsula had to survive from the critical situation of being the arena of competition, and through the colonial period under Japanese imperialism, nationalism became stronger as a logic of survival. The policy of seclusion under closed and exclusive nationalism that didn't recognize the world situation well enough, eventually gave more pain to the nation. Nationalism in colonial Korea which was as reformed nationalism and on the other hand, as intransigent, resisting nationalism. Since the purpose of this writing is not for clarifying the argument raised on Korean nationalism, there is no use mentioning how it went with the change of time. But we have to focus on the fact that the word 'nation' which appeared under the influence of popular revolution and capitalism meaning 'a group of people', was translated and understood as a racial concept for strengthening the unity of 'single-race nation with five thousand years' history. First of all, there is nationalism used to fortify the system. 'The Charter of National Education' and 'The Pledge of Allegiance' were ornaments to intensify the ruling ideology and dictatorship to militarize entire South Korea for 'settling Korean democracy' professed nationalism. Also, another ruling ideology armed with 'self-reliance' put North Korea into the state of hypnosis called nationalism. Nationalism, claiming 'nation' outwardly, but in reality, being an illuminating, instructing ideology isolating each other was indeed a body with two faces. This made 'nation' in Korea mysterious and objective through work such as. The statue commemorating patriotic forefathers' and picture of national records' in South Korea art. Nationalism used to strengthening the system encountered the magical 'single-race' and made 'ghost' being an extreme exclusion to other nations. We can find pedigreed pureness not allowing any mixed breeds from the attitude accepting western art -via Japan or directly- and making it vague by using the word Korean and Asia. There's nationalism as a resistant ideology to solidify the system on the other side. It came out as a way of survival among the Great Power and grew with the task of national liberation to became as a powerful force facing against the dictatorship dominating South Korea after the liberation. This discussion of nationalism as a resistance ideology was active in 1980s. In 1980, democracy movement against the dictatorship of 5th Republic originated from military power which came out suppressing the democratic movement in Gwangju, spread out from the intellects and the students to the labors, farmers and the civilians. It is well known that the 'Nation-People(Minjoong)'s Art Movement could come out under this social condition. Our attitude toward nationalism is still dual in this opening part of 21st century. On one hand, they are opposing to the ultra-nationalism but are not able to separate it from nationalism, and on the other, they have much confusion using it. In fact, in a single-race nation like Korea, the situation of being nationalism and jus sanguinis together can cause dual nationalism. Though nationalism is included in the globalization order, it is evidence that it's effective in Korea where there are still modern fetters like division and separation. In particular, in the world where Japan makes East Asia Coalition but exposed in front of nationalism, and China not being free from Sinocentrism, and American nationalism taking the world order, and Russia fortifying nationalism suppressing the minority race after the dissolution of socialism, Korean nationalism is at the point to find an alternative plan superior to the ruling and resisting ideology.

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Recent Advancement in the Stem Cell Biology (Stem Cell Biology, 최근의 진보)

  • Harn, Chang-Yawl
    • Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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    • v.33 no.3
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    • pp.195-207
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    • 2006
  • Stem cells are the primordial, initial cells which usually divide asymmetrically giving rise to on the one hand self-renewals and on the other hand progenitor cells with potential for differentiation. Zygote (fertilized egg), with totipotency, deserves the top-ranking stem cell - he totipotent stem cell (TSC). Both the ICM (inner cell mass) taken from the 6 days-old human blastocyst and ESC (embryonic stem cell) derived from the in vitro cultured ICM have slightly less potency for differentiation than the zygote, and are termed pluripotent stem cells. Stem cells in the tissues and organs of fetus, infant, and adult have highly reduced potency and committed to produce only progenitor cells for particular tissues. These tissue-specific stem cells are called multipotent stem cells. These tissue-specific/committed multipotent stem cells, when placed in altered environment other than their original niche, can yield cells characteristic of the altered environment. These findings are certainly of potential interest from the clinical, therapeutic perspective. The controversial terminology 'somatic stem cell plasticity' coined by the stem cell community seems to have been proved true. Followings are some of the recent knowledges related to the stem cell. Just as the tissues of our body have their own multipotent stem cells, cancerous tumor has undifferentiated cells known as cancer stem cell (CSC). Each time CSC cleaves, it makes two daughter cells with different fate. One is endowed with immortality, the remarkable ability to divide indefinitely, while the other progeny cell divides occasionally but lives forever. In the cancer tumor, CSC is minority being as few as 3-5% of the tumor mass but it is the culprit behind the tumor-malignancy, metastasis, and recurrence of cancer. CSC is like a master print. As long as the original exists, copies can be made and the disease can persist. If the CSC is destroyed, cancer tumor can't grow. In the decades-long cancer therapy, efforts were focused on the reducing of the bulk of cancerous growth. How cancer therapy is changing to destroy the origin of tumor, the CSC. The next generation of treatments should be to recognize and target the root cause of cancerous growth, the CSC, rather than the reducing of the bulk of tumor, Now the strategy is to find a way to identify and isolate the stem cells. The surfaces of normal as well as the cancer stem cells are studded with proteins. In leukaemia stem cell, for example, protein CD 34 is identified. In the new treatment of cancer disease it is needed to look for protein unique to the CSC. Blocking the stem cell's source of nutrients might be another effective strategy. The mystery of sternness of stem cells has begun to be deciphered. ESC can replicate indefinitely and yet retains the potential to turn into any kind of differentiated cells. Polycomb group protein such as Suz 12 repress most of the regulatory genes which, activated, are turned to be developmental genes. These protein molecules keep the ESC in an undifferentiated state. Many of the regulator genes silenced by polycomb proteins are also occupied by such ESC transcription factors as Oct 4, Sox 2, and Nanog. Both polycomb and transcription factor proteins seem to cooperate to keep the ESC in an undifferentiated state, pluripotent, and self-renewable. A normal prion protein (PrP) is found throughout the body from blood to the brain. Prion diseases such as mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) are caused when a normal prion protein misfolds to give rise to PrP$^{SC}$ and assault brain tissue. Why has human body kept such a deadly and enigmatic protein? Although our body has preserved the prion protein, prion diseases are of rare occurrence. Deadly prion diseases have been intensively studied, but normal prion problems are not. Very few facts on the benefit of prion proteins have been known so far. It was found that PrP was hugely expressed on the stem cell surface of bone marrow and on the cells of neural progenitor, PrP seems to have some function in cell maturation and facilitate the division of stem cells and their self-renewal. PrP also might help guide the decision of neural progenitor cell to become a neuron.

The Change in Quality of the Labor Force and Its Effect on the Economic Growth of Korea (한국 노동력의 질적향상이 경제발전에 미치는 영향)

  • Song, Wi-sup
    • Korea journal of population studies
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.159-184
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    • 1988
  • Race and ethnicity are important factors which influence the elderIy's residential adjustment behaviors, although it is unclear whether this reflects influences unrelated to race and ethnlcity. Culturally, the norm of family supportoften obseved among various minority ethnic groups is likely to provide flexible family suppof for the elderIy. Economically, the life-long hardship ofminority groups is likely to force them to maintain extended family living arrangements simply to reduce expenses via economies of scale. Thecontroversy about the economic need versus the cultural prescription forextended living arrangements remains unresoIved because it fails to articulatethe meaning of family supports among many disadvantaged groups.This study aims to test previous economic and cultural arguments, byexamining ethnic differences iu the eiderIy's responsiveness to their health andeconomic problems. Two hypotheses about cultural influences on the elderly's resideutiai adjustment are examined. First, do elderly minorities receive famiiysupporis for longer periods when they are poor if economic and health status\ulcorner Second, do elderiy minorities receive family supports more often when their health status declines\ulcorner Using the Longitudinal Suvey on Aging from 1984 to 1990. this study employs Markovian multi-state life tables, and discrete and contonuous competing hazard analyses for the transition in living arrangements. The main results provide substantial evidence against the cultural resource thesis. Elderly minorities experience more frequent transition between living alone and living with relatives than white elderly persons when group differences in the extent of mortality and insititutionalization are controlled. The shorter timf of living alone among elderly monorities stems from their greater likehood of joining relatives as well as greater mortality and attrition rates than elderly whites. Coresidence of elderly whites with their relatives is more likely to occur in response to their needs for health care than of elderly whites. it implies that instability. not flezibility. characterrizes elderly minorities living arrangements.

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The Life Experiences of the Deaf Elderly (농아노인의 생활 경험)

  • Park, Ina;Hwang, YoungHee;Kim, Hanho
    • 한국노년학
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.525-540
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    • 2016
  • The purpose of this study was to investigate what kind of experiences the deaf elderly would have in the course of life. It also aimed to promote the understanding of their living difficulties and culture among people with normal hearing and provide basic data to help them live with others as members of the community. Phenomenological qualitative research was conducted as part of the methodology. The subjects include seven deaf old people. Based on the results of in-depth interview and analysis, the life experiences of the deaf elderly were categorized into "unforgettable wounds," "life in the community," "life with the family," "marriage of the deaf elderly", and "living by adjusting to reality." First, the subcategories of "unforgettable wounds" include "receiving no treatment for fever," "damage by the Korean War," "alienation from the family," and "people's cold eyes." It turned out that the deaf elderly had led a life, suffering from the heart wounds that they could not forget. Second, the subcategories of "life in the community" include "inconvenience in life," "disadvantages in life," and "severed life." The deaf elderly were not only subjected to inconvenience and disadvantages in life, but also suffered loneliness, being cut off from the community. Third, the subcategories of "life with the family" include "not communicating with children," "being abandoned again," "being used by the family," "being lonely even with the family," and "wishing to live independently from the family." The deaf elderly were not supported by their families and were abandoned or used by them, leading a solitary life. Fourth, the subcategories of "marriage of the deaf elderly" include"send as a surrogate mother," "frequent remarriage and divorce," "lean on as a married couple." Deaf elderly form their own culture of the marriage and lean on each other. Finally, the subcategories of "living by adjusting to reality" include "getting help from neighbors," "behaving oneself right in life," "learning Hangul," "living by working," "living freely," "living by missing," and "controlling the impulse to end life," "resorting to religion." The deaf elderly made the most alienated and vulnerable group with no access to benefits due to their limitations as a linguistic and social minority, but they made efforts to form their own culture and adjust to reality for themselves. Based on those findings, the study made the following proposals: first, there is a need for practical approaches to heal the ineffaceable wounds in the hearts of deaf elderly. Second, there is a need for policies to help them experience no inconvenience and disadvantages as members of community and communicate with people with normal hearing. Third, there should be practical approaches to enable them to get recognition and support from their families and share love with them. Finally, there should be practical policy approaches to help people with normal hearing understand the culture of deaf elderly and assist the deaf elderly to receive supports from the community and live with others within the community.