Why invest in North Korea? Chinese foreign direct investment in North Korea and its implications

North Korea has been regarded as the least likely place to attract foreign investors due to its poor infrastructure, policy reversals, and totalitarian regime. However, the recent growth of Chinese direct investment in North Korea has drawn much attention due to its implications for the North Korean economy and regional stability. This research provides an analytical framework by considering two fundamental issues that any foreign investor takes into account when making an investment decision: property rights protection and profitability. It examines how recent changes have influenced these two issues, which, in turn, shaped the incentive structure of Chinese private investors.     

Globalization and the Korean electronics industry

Abstract

Northeast Asia is notable for the relative absence of regional institutions. The Six Party Talks could constitute an embryonic starting point for the development of such institutions. The path toward greater institutionalization is likely to begin in a modest fashion. Functional working groups on topics such as the environment, maritime transport, technical barriers to trade, road and rail links, and energy could provide the locus for integrating North Korea into the broader regional and global economies. Foreign ministries will inevitably take the lead in developing the Northeast Asia Peace and Security Mechanism (NEAPSM), but meaningful economic achievements will require the involvement of other ministries. North Korea has proved problematic in this regard thus far. Moreover, given the importance of private-sector involvement in achieving sustainable economic development in North Korea, modalities will have to be developed to integrate private-sector actors when possible. The governments of the region, and particularly China and South Korea, may continue support on a bilateral basis as a hedge against North Korea's collapse or as inducements in the context of the nuclear talks. But the development of more permanent multilateral structures is unlikely until the nuclear issue is resolved.     

Framing and dominant metaphors in the coverage of North Korea in the Australian media

Through the selective allocation of attention, framing and metaphors in covering foreign affairs and countries, media narratives often act to delegitimise, marginalise and demonise international actors. Focusing on Australian reportage of North Korea in The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald and from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012, this paper explicates how the framing mechanisms utilised in media point to media complicity in reinforcing a negative, adversarial orientation towards North Korea. It also discusses implications for how Australians view the North Korean people, Australian–North Korean relations, and policy pertaining to Northeast Asia more broadly.     

朝鲜核行为预测：变化无常还是有章可循？

学界普遍默认朝鲜对外政策难以预测,因此大量研究始终停留在“事后”诠释的水平,缺乏预判性、前瞻性研究。作者挑战了这一成见,建立了关于朝鲜核试验和导弹试验行为的短期预测模型。通过以2006～2018年朝鲜媒体国际新闻报道为数据集,以每月的数据作为一个数据样本,通过构建最优特征集,应用朴素贝叶斯方法,建立了朝鲜核行为的预测模型。经过测试,模型对朝鲜历史行为的“预测”整体准确率超过80%。预测效果良好,且模型具有稳健性。根据统计结果建立的预测朝鲜核行为的预警指标体系,可以从长期、中期和短期三个时段实时监测朝鲜核动向。为解决报道搜集相对滞后的问题,运用SARIMA时间序列分析方法,模拟补全出未来六个月的特征集数值,估算数据在统计上具备可信性,预测准确率高。研究发现,朝鲜核行为远非外界印象中那样无章可循,事实上,朝鲜在相当长时间段内的核行为呈现出高度稳定的模式化倾向。即使像朝鲜这样信息极度封闭的国家,采用适当方法仍然可以对其行为做出较准确的预测。这种建模方法能够为发展关于国家行为预测的一般方法提供启发。     

“天人合一”与唐前文学

“天人合一”是中国一个古老的哲学命题,它在我们民族性中根深蒂固地沉淀着,对中国古代文学的影响巨大,最显要处莫过于唐代以前的历史时期,影响主要有三方面:逆天不祥、指天而呼、天(神)人合体。     

Allele frequencies of six miniSTR loci in the population of Northern Portugal

A possible approach to try to recover information from degraded DNA is to reduce the size of the PCR products by designing primers that bind as close as possible to the STR repeat region, known as miniSTRs. Allele frequencies and forensic parameters for the six miniSTRs loci D1S1677, D2S441, D4S2364, D10S1248, D14S1434 and D22S1045 were investigated in a sample group consisting of 228 anonymous apparently healthy unrelated individuals living in North of Portugal. The results show that all loci were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The combined power of discrimination and power of exclusion for the six loci were 0.99999 and 0.9789, respectively. All but one (D4S2364) loci showed a moderate degree of polymorphism (observed heterozygosity >0.6). The allele sizes ranged between 66 and 118 bp in our population, which is beneficial for typing degraded samples than those of a commercial STR kit.     

马克思与诺思产权制度理论之比较

近年来,产权制度已成为经济学和法学研究的热点和难点问题,同时也是在我国国企改革以及市场经济体制确立和完善过程中必须解决的重大理论课题。通过对马克思与诺思产权制度理论的比较分析,可以廓清对产权制度问题的认识,从而为我国的国企改革、市场经济体制的确立和完善以及法制建设的发展提供有效的理论指导和支持。     

Defection of North Korea's ideologist a sign of regime crisis

Abstract

The defection of Hwang Jang‐yop, one of North Korea's major ideological authorities and a senior member of the leadership, is a clear indication of regime crisis in Pyongyang. Hwang's assessment of the nature of the Kim Jong‐il regime, which he regards as incapable of reform and committed to war with South Korea, will strengthen those in Seoul who argue for a tough approach to be taken in negotiations on security issues with North Korea. At the same time, his remarks on the extent of communist influence in South Korean politics may influence the outcome of the 1997 presidential elections.     

华北地区祈雨谣辞研究

华北地区的祈雨仪式中 ,有民间的祈雨谣、道家的祈雨经 ,还有官员文人所作的官祭祈雨文。三者祈雨过程中表现形式虽各有侧重 ,但祈求自然神力保的功能是一致的。此外 ,都十分强调忏悔对人类心灵的净化作用 ,指出只有虔诚反省、改恶从善 ,才能得到上天的回报