Russian Energy and the Korean Peninsula

The recent agreements concerning North Korea’s nuclear program raise possibilities for providing North Korea with energy (oil and gas) to compensate for the termination of its nuclear program and of integrating it more broadly into the Northeast Asian economy. Russia has long wanted to play the role of provider of oil and gas to North Korea and these agreements open up new opportunities for it to do so. However, serious obstacles in the nature of North Korea’s precarious economic situation and its consequences, international rivalries in Northeast Asia, and Russia’s own energy policies present serious obstacles to the realization of Russia’s ambitions as regards North Korea and as energy provider to Northeast Asia as a whole.     

The Incidence and Impact of Family Violence on Mental Health Among South Korean Women: Results of a National Survey

This representative national survey examined incidence of husband-to-wife violence in the past year, lifetime exposure to parental violence, and the relationships between victimization experiences of family violence and mental health among South Korean women (N = 1,079). The major findings were that incidence rate of husband-to-wife violence among Korean women was 29.5%, which was much higher than those of other nations, and that their experiences of physical violence by husbands in the last year and lifetime verbal abuse by parents had strong associations with the mental health of victims. The findings suggest that preventive intervention programs for male perpetrators as well as domestic violence victims with mental health problems and comprehensive interventions for Korean couples are urgently needed. In addition, parents should be educated about how to modify their children’s behavior without physical punishment or verbal abuse.

Land use and forestry based CDM in scientific peer-reviewed literature pre-and post-COP 9 in Milan

This article explores the science-policy interactions between peer-reviewed literature and decisions and declarations on Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) projects in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) taken at Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings. The results are based on a literature analysis capturing 88 articles published from 1997 to 2005. By using a matrix search method and a structured reading form, the method and analysis focussed on whether issues of CDM and LULUCF were presented as ‘supportive of the inclusion of LULUCF’ and ‘critical of the inclusion of LULUCF’. A matrix search method and a structured reading form were applied. Of the 88 articles, 66% included discussions supportive to the inclusion of LULUCF. Forty-nine percent had a first author affiliated in natural sciences. Only 19% had first authors affiliated in developing countries while the same number for contributing authors was 38%. The results show no clear connection between scientific literature and decisions and declarations, but indicate that policymakers set the research agenda by declarations, while researchers feed the process up until decisions are made.

古代中国与朝鲜的“气”哲学传统比较

在中国,元气自然论在王充以后,受魏晋玄学思辩哲学的压抑一度发展低迷,到北宋张载时走向高峰而发展为元气本体论,后又受程朱"理"论的排挤,一度衰微。300年后,王廷相、王夫之的气论又形成发展高潮。在朝鲜,确立气一元论哲学的徐敬德之后,气哲学传统就表现为主理主气之争、唯理唯气之争,最终由崔汉绮总集成。中国的气论主要作为宇宙本根论,道器、形而上、形而下等范畴始终成为诠释的中心。朝鲜的气论则更多地是对心、性、情等伦理本体的探讨,故主要围绕理气、心性、善恶等概念进行了研究。     

韩国政治转型与中产阶级的作用

在韩国政治转型过程中,中产阶级的政治文化实现了从臣民政治文化向臣民——参与者政治文化的转型。韩国中产阶级突出的特征是具有变革与保守的双重性,既是民主政治改革的推动者,也是权威政治的维护力量。在韩国由权威政治走向民主政治的过程中,中产阶级造就了公民社会与国家的分离互动发展,形成多元政治自主权对国家权利的分割与制衡。由此给我们的启示是,迅速成长的中产阶级在后发型国家实现民主法治过程中成为不可抗拒的历史洪流。     

Inclusive partners? Internationalising South Korea’s chaebol through corporate social responsibility-linked development cooperation

Abstract

In recent years, non-traditional or ‘emerging’ donors such as South Korea have organised their development cooperation models in a manner that seeks to complement the capacities of the private sector by extending the overseas activities of domestic businesses. To better understand this process, this article examines the role of South Korea’s large, family-led conglomerates (chaebol) in its growing international development sector. In particular, we focus on how the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been used to link the role of its large, and frequently scandal-ridden, private companies to international development, and, by extension, how it has helped to internationalise state–business networks long associated with the Korean developmental state. We examine two strategies through which this has been carried out. The first is by extending the logic of creating shared value (CSV, a derivative of CSR) to aid and infrastructure projects in which chaebol and other state-linked businesses have participated. The second is by directly embedding CSR-based aid initiatives in the value chains of the specific chaebol themselves.     

The Role of Non -Economic Drivers in Development Planning: The Case of South Korea and Turkey

ABSTRACT

The relationships between economic growth and planning strategies have been debated in different disciplines of social science. However, the emphasis has been more on structural and theoretical assumptions of planning and economics at the expense of other important non-economic and institutional factors that include social, cultural, political, and administrative dimensions. To explain the different approaches and outcomes of development planning, one needs to examine other factors that influence the nature of these plans and why they have been adopted. Using rigorous systematic and thematic review of government reports, academic publications and data from international organizations, this comparative study reveal the unique role non-economic factors play in countries’ development. It has been revealed that these factors not only influence the nature of planning strategies adopted by governments but also affect how these plans are implemented. Since South Korea and Turkey have achieved impressive economic growth over the last half a century, they have been selected as a case study to examine the role non-economic factors in their respective developments.     

The Dilemma of Nuclear Disarmament: The Case of North Korea

ABSTRACT

The Hanoi summit between the US and North Korea failed not because of North Korea’s brinkmanship strategy or its miscalculation of the US position on the denuclearisation talks, but because of a fundamental issue: a dilemma of how much to yield in giving up its military capabilities to expedite the lifting of sanctions. The leadership in Pyongyang has concerns about the ‘deliverability’ of its promises to its domestic audience to ensure deterrence capabilities and economic recovery. The two-level game model explains why both sides keep minimising the range of options for the negotiations, increasing the risk that the talks will break down.     

当前韩国的经济形势

当前 ,在全球主要经济体增长明显放缓、国际贸易环境严重萧条的情况下 ,以出口贸易与投资为主要增长动力的韩国经济 ,正面临着自东亚金融危机以来的又一次严重衰退局面。更为严重的是 ,这种因出口下滑和交易条件恶化而引发的衰退局面 ,至今并无任何好转迹象 ,而政府面对严重依赖外部环境的经济运行机制亦难以拿出更为有效的应对方案。     

朝鲜核问题的三种解决前景与中国的政策选择

朝鲜核问题有三种发展变化前景:第一种前景,美国对朝发动军事打击,引发东北亚局部战争;第二种前景,通过谈判和平解决,朝放弃核武计划,美等有关国家向朝提供经济与安全补偿;第三种前景,朝在时机有利时突破核门槛,成为事实上的核国家。第一种前景和第三种前景都不符合中国的利益,中国应努力争取朝核问题循第二途解决。