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This book is about the role of women in Korean and Japanese politics over the past century. It is exceedingly rare to have a comparative analysis of politics in Japan and the Republic of Korea, which gives this book a special status. At the same time these are countries with remarkably low levels of political participation by women, so it is very important to have an analysis of the reasons for this outcome. In the 1970s women accounted for less than two percent of legislative representatives in Japan, and less than one percent in Korea; today women constitute about seven percent of the members in each legislature, but these levels are still comparatively low in the developed world: about forty-three percent of Sweden's legislators are women, and women constitute more than 30 percent of Germany's Bundestag; the level in the U.S. Congress is about thirteen per cent.The explanation for this phenomenon is by no means simple, and the author traverses a complex argument beginning with the "late" industrialization of both countries, followed by long periods of military rule and excesses of nationalism in both that until relatively recently subordinated women to state-sponsored goals of rapid development and national unity, to the situation today where, at least in Korea, the role of women in politics is growing rapidly. Her account is based on numerous interviews in Korea and Japan, a deft use of public opinion polls, and a wide comparative reading in the literature on the history and politics of both countries. After examining a host of theoretical and conceptual approaches to understanding the role of women in politics, she combines an historical analysis with an examination of patriarchal culture in Japan and Korea, and then scrutinizes the way in which the two respective political systems have both formal and informal mechanisms that militate against women's participation. Furthermore at many points in the text she makes comparative judgments concerning women's participation in Europe and the United States. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The South Korean media consist of several different types of public communication of news: television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and Internet-based Web sites. Modern Korean journalism began after the opening of Korea in late 19th century. The Korean press had a strong reformist and nationalistic flavour from the beginning, but faced efforts at political control or outright censorship during most of the 20th century. Today in South Korea, many journalists have established a tradition of remaining independent. They are often critical of the government, zealously protesting any attempts at press censorship. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Women in South Korea have experienced great social change in recent years following the miracle on the Han River, the country's rapid economic growth under the capitalist dictator Pak Chung-hee, and resultant increases in women's education and rights. Despite recent moves in favor of equality, Korea remains a highly patriarchal society. During the Koryo and early Choson Dynasties, it was customary for the married couple to live in the wife's parents' household. ... Read more

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A look at the private institutions that were dedicated to higher learning, the same ones that eventually became the crowning glory of Neo-Confucianism, Seowon examines the role these schools had on society during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) while also taking a closer look at their architecture. Korean Culture Series #2 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ground breaking work on traditional Korean Architecture.
What's really fantastic about this book is that, even
though the subject matter of the book lies in the foreign past, the
tone of the book is extremely local and contemporary.
That was only possible because Prof. Lee cut the history in half
and kindly guided us to the founders of Seowon (medieval academic
institution in Korea) with a clear reasoning and scholarly fervor.

The founders of Seowon lived during an era when a new thought,
Neo Confucianism, was rising to take over the old order of Buddhism. In
the heart of that turmoil, the new elite class sought
architectural expressions that best reified the new world-view.

Readers will walk to the doorsteps of many schools of thought
in that period of time. Reading the book Chosun scholarship
and political-lineage will be understandable.
Readers will see the arc (both in time and quality)of the
new metaphysics and its physical applications.
Flipping thru pages, reader will gradually comprehend some
of the common elements of Korean architecture through examples
and see how these differ from Chinese & Japanese style.
(raw and buff carpentry for example..)

The ideal of Seowon was poverty (in a scholastic sense); yet, the
humility of expression brought the richness of nature.
Personally what I enjoyed most was imagining being
at the center of the courtyards of each Seowon.
Prof. Lee's explanation and illustrations show the breath-taking beauty
of landscape flowing into the built complex, as if the purpose of the
houses were to contain landscape.

... Read more

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This pioneering book offers a dynamic and global account of Korea's place in the current third wave of democratization. Drawing on a unique sample of six national surveys conducted in Korea since 1988, and richly comparative, the book carefully examines the evolution, contours and consequences of Korean democratization from the perspective of Korean people themselves and their experiences throughout the entire course of democratic change. Notably, the book characterizes and distinguishes Korea as a non-Western and Confucian model of democratization. ... Read more

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This special issue of positions is a collection of thought-provoking essays that challenges the ways in which the West has traditionally experienced Asia/Pacific film. Focusing on film texts from Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines, the articles explore the powerful emotions of frustration and alienation that cinema can express in the face of modernization and globalization.
Contributors examine how specific films—including Haplos (1982), Chilsu and Mansu (1988), Fresh Kill (1994), and Princess Mononoke (1997)—rework folktales, literary sources, popular memory, lived experience, and history. Some of the films examined here incorporate supernatural elements and/or gay and lesbian narratives that provide an escape from the sexism, racism, homophobia, environmental destruction, and urban alienation that the filmmakers see as the defining characteristics of the postcolonial world.

Asia/Pacific Cinema posits that film, with its ability to play with memory, fate, and linear time, creates a space in which to consider alternatives to the dominant cultural, economic, and social norms.

Contributors. Jonathan Beller, Joan Kee, Kyung Hyun Kim, Helen Hok-sze Leung, Bliss Cau Lim, Gina Marchetti, Susan Napier, Esther C. M. Yau ... Read more

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"Cultural Dimensions - South Korea" is written for the serious traveler or expatriate who wants to go far below the surface of the 'do's and dont's' advice on how to get along in Republic of Korea. Here's an example of what you'll find:

The Importance of Rank and Status

Although the Korean system of vertically-organized rankings of people is somewhat diminished today, judging one's self and others according to a strict criteria is still of critical importance in Korean society, especially in the workplace. That criteria includes family origins, education and title.

Korean society is divided into a number of principal class divisions with numerous subtle gradations within each class. People in the higher classes will often go to extremes to avoid dealing with or even acknowledging those of lower status. This phenomenon affects the workplace and affects even foreigners working in Korea.
Your personal status while on assignment will depend on:

Your rank or job title
The status of your company within the industry sector
The status of the industry sector itself.

Your Korean counterparts will be extremely interested in finding out as much about you as possible, primarily in order to determine what rank or importance you should be assigned within the informal, but highly significant pecking order in the workplace.

This behavior is quite normal, even unconscious for the Koreans, but can be disturbing to newly arriving foreigners, especially those without significant job titles. Every new employee introduced into a Korean work group must immediately be placed properly by the group within its hierarchy. Until this is accomplished, relationships cannot be developed and work can slow down and get off track. This is the reason business cards are so important.

The pecking order may not seem especially relevant to the newly arrived westerner. You may not consider rank and status terribly important for yourself. But you must recognize that to the Koreans it means everything. Those who rank themselves above you will not want to deal with you except through your superior. Those who rank themselves below you will not understand if you want to deal with or socialize with them. You will lose status with the group if you do.

Finally, please avoid the trap of automatically gravitating to those in the workplace or social scene who speak the best English, or who seem most westernized in their ways, or who appear to be really hustling to be your new best friend. Such people may or may not be of the appropriate rank, and casual associating before you get the lay of the land can hurt your effectiveness. ... Read more

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During the 1990s the Korean economy was regarded as a possible "role model" to be followed by other newly industrializing economies, but the "Asian Crisis" of 1997 destroyed this image. Past practices, challenges and responses are explored in this collection by an international group of authors. ... Read more

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Big Brother, Little Brother provides a fascinating case study of the impact of American culture on South Korea during the Johnson administration. ... Read more

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East Asia has undergone an intense period of economic development and accompanying social change in recent years and among the unforeseen social phenomena that have emerged are new forms of trade unions. This book analyzes the importance of such a new union movement in Korea by focusing on the promotion of social reforms by, and the intensification of interunion solidarity between the white-collar movement factions.

Three sectors of the white-collar movement are examined—financial, hospital, and research unions. In comparing their success in raising social reforms and fortifying interunion solidarity, Doowon Suh considers diverse macro and micro social relations, such as the structure of political opportunities, organization leadership, and the effects of internal labor markets.

This book is an important read for those interested in industrial relations, labor history and social movements in Korea.

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Intended as a companion to the popular KLEAR Textbooks in Korean Language series and designed and edited by a leading Korean linguist, this is the first volume of its kind to treat specifically the critical role of language in Korean culture and society. An introductory chapter provides the framework of the volume, defining language, culture, and society and their interrelatedness and presenting an overview of the Korean language vis-à-vis its culture and society from evolutionary and dynamic perspectives.

Early on, contributors examine the invention and use of the Korean alphabet, South Korea’s "standard language" vs. North Korea’s "cultured language," and Korean in contact with Chinese and Japanese. Several topics representative of Korean socio-cultural vocabulary (sound symbolic words, proverbs, calendar-related terms, kinship terms, slang expressions) are discussed, followed by a consideration of Korean honorifics and other related issues. Two chapters on !Korean media, one on advertisements and the other a comparative analysis of television ads in Korea, Japan, and the U.S., follow. Finally, contributors look at salient features of the language, narrative structure, and dialectal variation. All chapters are accompanied by a set of student questions and a useful bibliography. Throughout, technical language is kept to a minimum and sufficient language examples are provided. A beginning level of proficiency in Korean is sufficient to digest the Korean examples with facility, making this volume accessible to a wide range of students. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I like the condition of the book
The physical condition of this book is perfect. I like that. But the view over pragmatics of the editor lacks of knowledge. ... Read more

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Religion in Korea has provided fertile soil for the cultivation of Korean thought, culture and art and has helped preserve the Korean way of life throughout the various vicissitudes of history. Because religion was a core factor determining social structure and cultural forms in traditioinal society, Korean traditional and culture and Korean religions are intricately intertwined. ... Read more

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Part of the successful Routledge ‘Working in Asia’ series, The Changing Face of Korean Management focuses on a country that is predicted by some experts to become the world’s third richest by 2025. South Korea, with its thriving telecommunications and automotive industries, and increasing trade links with China, survived the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis better than most. This important textbook explores the key areas of management in this pivotal country in the region, including: 

• Human Resource Management
• Marketing
• Operations
• Finance
• Strategy
• Overseas affiliates
• Small firms and entrepreneurship
• Women

Including case studies and interviews with front-line Korean managers to enable a real ‘voice’ to emerge, and written by native academics, this is a complete analysis of the current state of management structures in South Korea. It is important reading for all students of business and management interested in Asia.

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On the demand side, exporters and strategic planners focusing on human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts in South Korea face a number of questions. Which countries are supplying human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts to South Korea? How important is South Korea compared to others in terms of the entire global and regional market? How much do the imports of human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts vary from one country of origin to another in South Korea? On the supply side, South Korea also exports human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts. Which countries receive the most exports from South Korea? How are these exports concentrated across buyers? What is the value of these exports and which countries are the largest buyers?

This report was created for strategic planners, international marketing executives and import/export managers who are concerned with the market for human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts in South Korea. With the globalization of this market, managers can no longer be contented with a local view. Nor can managers be contented with out-of-date statistics which appear several years after the fact. I have developed a methodology, based on macroeconomic and trade models, to estimate the market for human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts for those countries serving South Korea via exports, or supplying from South Korea via imports. It does so for the current year based on a variety of key historical indicators and econometric models.

In what follows, Chapter 2 begins by summarizing where ... Read more

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In South Korea, online gaming is a cultural phenomenon. Games are broadcast on television, professional gamers are celebrities, and youth culture is often identified with online gaming. Uniquely in the online games market, Korea not only dominates the local market but has also made its mark globally. In Korea's Online Gaming Empire, Dal Yong Jin examines the rapid growth of this industry from a political economy perspective, discussing it in social, cultural, and economic terms.

Korea has the largest percentage of broadband subscribers of any country in the world, and Koreans spend increasing amounts of time and money on Internet-based games. Online gaming has become a mode of socializing—a channel for human relationships. The Korean online game industry has been a pioneer in software development and eSports (electronic sports and leagues). Jin discusses the policies of the Korean government that encouraged the development of online gaming both as a cutting-edge business and as a cultural touchstone; the impact of economic globalization; the relationship between online games and Korean society; and the future of the industry. He examines the rise of Korean online games in the global marketplace, the emergence of eSport as a youth culture phenomenon, the working conditions of professional gamers, the role of game fans as consumers, how Korea's local online game industry has become global, and whether these emerging firms have challenged the West's dominance in global markets. ... Read more

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Completely updated and revised for this new edition, our unique electronic book on two CD-ROMs has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources about South Korea (Republic of Korea - ROK), providing encyclopedic coverage of all aspects of the country. This disc set provides a truly fantastic reference source, with over one hundred thousand pages reproduced in Adobe Acrobat format! There is complete coverage of newsworthy material about South Korea (Republic of Korea - ROK), including 8th U.S. Army Korea, Korean Business, 6-party talks, Osan Air Base, Korean Culture, U.S. military; Korea - U.S. Free Trade Agreement, Tourism and Korean Market Profile, APEC, environmental strategies, economic reports, and more.This incredible and comprehensive series on the countries of the world contains material from the State Department, Department of Defense, White House, and cabinet agencies including Agriculture, Energy, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.There is complete information about geography, people, government, the economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.In addition to the nation-specific material, as a bonus we have included reports about every country on the globe, with 271 nations, dependent areas, and other entities identified by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA World Factbook is considered an invaluable "world encyclopedia" reference book.This incredible two CD-ROM set is packed with over 100,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material.Our news and educational discs are privately compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-fri ... Read more

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THE GUERRILLA GUIDE TO CULTURE SHOCK

TWO BOOKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE.


YOUR GATEWAY TO SOUTH EAST ASIA & THE ORIENT

and

THIS SPECIAL BONUS EDITION includes for FREE:

CHINESE HOROSCOPES, INTERNET, SEXUAL MORES & SCAMS


The cultures of the Oriental East are uniquely different to those of the Occidental West. To the Western individual experiencing those differences in practical terms on a day-to-day basis, the new rules can potentially come as a shock.

The scenic beauty, cultural diversity and generally polite nature of the peoples of South East Asia is at most times a delight. In fact it would be difficult to find a better set of locations in which to experience a uniquely different holiday.

However, the Art of War was formulated in the Orient in ancient times, and business is conducted using those principles to this day. So if you intend to investigate the possibility of investment or trade in South East Asia and the Orient, caveat emptor (buyer beware) applies with a vengeance.

As example, during the Second World War, Siam allied itself to the Japanese. It had no alternative, the country would have been overrun by the Nipponese forces just as Singapore, Malaya, Burma and parts of China were in the same land block. Whilst supposedly allied to the Japanese, Siam assisted the Western powers via the underground. Despite having faced both ways at the same time for the best part of five years - never taking up arms and business continuing as usual - at the end of the Second World War, Siam/Thailand managed to stay on good terms with both East and West.

Unique amongst non-Western nations, Siam/Thailand was the only country in South East Asia never to have been colonised during the golden age of Western imperialism. Every single nation surrounding that country was colonised, but Siam/Thailand was not.

You’d have to look long and hard through the history books to match such dexterous feats of diplomacy.

The cultures of South East Asia and the Orient are ancient. In fact some would say superior in many ways. Whilst the Celts, Scots, Picts, Gauls and Saxons - from which the European races and majority of the North America and Australasian populations are descended - were running around with blue paint on their faces (wode) armed with spears and wearing rough hewn skins on their backs, Siam had discovered how to weave fine silk, China had a well developed commercial system, fine art was much appreciated, gunpowder had been invented, and an efficient (albeit slightly corrupt) civil service was in place.

Then there is the fact that the main Western religions - Christianity and Judaism - are not the religions of the East. Five of the countries of South East Asia are Buddhist and/or lean towards Buddhism - which does do not accept the role of a God or Deity, believing that the conduct of the individual determines the present and the future. In other parts of South East Asia, Confucianism, Taoism and Islam are the faiths which predominate.

When a business ventures into other lands, the difference between doing a deal that floats and one that does not, is cultural knowledge. An insight into the background and culture of any nation you intend to visit can also provide greater understanding and pleasure.

Bon Voyage.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

THE GUERRILLA GUIDE TO CULTURE SHOCK - SOUTH EAST ASIA
This Guerrilla Guide travel package to South East Asia is the only one of its type in the world. The normal backpackers guides and the bland with lovely pictures travel guides which are the norm, and the business books with endless boring statistics, are mere surface glimpses of what are extremely complex societies. This author is able to deliver deep, highly informed knowledge obtained from long time absorption in the region, in a journalistic and reader-friendly style for a Western audience.

Regarded as an expert on South East Asia - where he has lived for much of the last 38 years - his copy has been powerful enough to have have been unofficially banned in more than one nation, due to targeting factual issues with insight and power. As an undercover journalist in the region, he used to go under the barbed wire into Cambodia with the Thai military when Pol Pot was in power, landmines both sides and gunfire in the background (photos confirm); he has ventured deep into Burma - south to north - under a Buddhist pass (conditions far worse than the West knows); and a series of published articles written under a pseudonym were powerful enough to help oust a prime minister in the region.

The author has lived his work and took calculated risks to get truly authentic inside stories, and even got lost in the Golden Triangle on one occasion. Scary stuff. In a remote monastery in Burma, not far from the Himalayas, the paranormal was witnessed. There to edit an English language book on Burmese Buddhism, perhaps they thought they'd show the author a few things. Reviews and events suggest this gives truth and power to the author's prose?

This book has been gleaned from a long spell in the Orient, making this travel guide to culture shock original and in many respects breakthrough material for the West, the USA in particular.

Only 10% of US citizens have passports, and most use them for traditional vacations, usually not in the more far flung outposts of South East East and the Orient. When they do, they usually stay in protected resorts and guided tours. That is not travelling. As a result, even those who do venture farther outside the USA, predominately remain ignorant of the in-depth cultures of those nations. And since 9/11, never in history has the West so urgently needed knowledge of other nations' cultures. As some very hard events confirm, nations and individuals are dangerously at risk without it. An 'essential' business and leisure travel guide, as the editor of Britain's Publishing Weekly said in his review.

South East Asian Press Review:

"Your Essential Travel Guide to Culture Shock, South East Asia & The Orient' is published by the IQ Inc people and is compiled and edited by Jake Anthony. Inscribed at the bottom of the cover is, `Never at any time in history, has the world so urgently needed knowledge of other nations' cultures.'

The foreword states the obvious, in many ways there are aching chasms of difference between the Oriental East and the Occidental West; however, editor Jake Anthony then highlights those appealing factors in the East, such as the cultural diversity and polite natures, saying that it is difficult to imagine better holiday locations.

However, when the reader is someone contemplating business, or settling in the East, the aching chasms appear again. In an attempt to bridge those chasms, or at least forewarn, this book has been written.

The countries covered are Burma, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Make no mistake, this is not another of those "guides to....." which will tell you the cheapest bus to get to XYZ, and where you and your backpack can doss down for less than $5 a day. This is much more of a serious attempt to unravel the knotted conundrum of working with the Asian mentalities.

There is an initial grounding given on the size of the area with some historical facts which have a bearing on today, and other pertinent items before getting into the nitty-gritty of visas, immigration, work permits, currency and getting around.
Following those general details, the book gets into `culture shock' with each location. The Oriental `face' concept is explained in depth, and how it can affect all business dealings, especially those with foreigners.

From there the book covers `Essential Business Dealings' and `Understanding Local Customs', knowledge of all of which can also spell success or failure. Even what you should do when receiving business cards is covered, and I must admit to being errant in that regard. I now know what to do.

Each country finishes with all of the public holidays, then trade fairs and some useful addresses and some contact telephone numbers. Again, this is extremely useful data - coming to Thailand for a business trip on the first week of May would be very frustrating, with public holidays on May 1, May 5 and May 7.

This should be compulsory reading for anyone doing business in S.E. Asia. Understanding when "yes" means "maybe" and when "maybe" means "no" will cut short many weeks of fruitful/fruitless endeavours.

Whilst many of the concepts/mores/customs are common, as many of the heritages are common, there are still appreciable differences between the countries and their inhabitants.

I found the book fascinating, and there is much to absorb. It was also interesting that all of the different countries have a word to describe the `big nosed, white faced smelly foreign devil'. Yes, that's us folks! Definitely deserves a place on all business bookshelves." Lang Reid, Pattaya Mail.
... Read more