The Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Examination of the Daegu Subway Disaster (2003, Korea)*

Abstract: Meticulous recovery of victims in the Daegu subway disaster was possible, because charred and fragmented victims were left in situ. Because bodies were piled one over another within the train, appropriate methodology during the recovery was critical to identifying the victims. The disaster area was thoroughly documented with notes, photographs, and schematic drawings of the various locations. The recovery team, comprising two medical examiners and one forensic anthropologist, decided when charred body parts and cremated bones were linked to the same individual based on the anatomy and forensic anthropological examination. Without these recovery procedures, it would not have been possible to efficiently harvest representative DNA sample from most of the victims’ body parts. After the entire process of identification, 136 victims were positively identified, and six victims remained unidentified. This study supports the crucial role of forensic anthropologists in the recovery of victims, especially in fire scenes.     

Microscopic Age Estimation from the Anterior Cortex of the Femur in Korean Adults*

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop age‐predicting equations from the anterior cortex of the femur of Korean adults. Seventy‐two femoral samples (44 male and 28 female) were obtained from Korean cadavers and used to develop the equations. The thin sections (<100‐μm thick) were prepared by manual grinding; the sections were not decalcified and were stained with Villanueva bone stain reagent. Analysis of covariance showed no significant differences in age‐adjusted histomorphological variables between sexes. In stepwise regression analysis, osteon population density, average osteon area, and the most anterior cortical width were selected for an age‐predicting equation which produced a high regression correlation (R² = 0.789). The average Haversian canal area was not significantly related to age for any specimen.     

Floaters,moonlighters, and the underemployed: A national labor market with Chinese characteristics

A national labor market has emerged as one of the most fundamental institutional changes in the PRC. Foreign direct investment has played a direct role. The Chinese national labor market, albeit with noticeable distortions, has provided a stable and abundant supply of cheap unskilled or low‐skilled labor and subsidized skilled labor and professionals, and enhanced labor mobility and autonomy in general. The national labor market has been strongly blessed by Beijing, as it feels it can effectively rely on the hukou (household registration) system to stabilize the massive underemployment at a time of comprehensive dislocations caused by the advancing market economy. The sociopolitical impact of the national labor market, however, is mounting as urban unemployment rises, the numbers of floating laborers grow and become increasingly restless, and the PRC government has become more apparently pro‐employer at the expense of labor.