http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/korea Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 22 Apr 2026 02:41:23 -0400 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 02:41:23 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1760/discourse-public-space-and-the-politics-of-korean-comfort-women-implications-for-east-asian-relations By Ann W. Kim - The issue of “comfort women,” sex slaves utilized by the Japanese army during World War II, is treated in this paper as a collective memory in the consciousness of South Koreans. Differing narratives of this historical event, and the emphasis placed on it, serves as the underlying basis for increased present tensions between the governments of South Korea and Japan. To understand the complexity of these painful experiences as a collective memory requires a discussion on the impact of colonization as well as contemporary problems regarding a whitewashing of history and the utilization... Wed, 20 Feb 2019 08:23 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1760/discourse-public-space-and-the-politics-of-korean-comfort-women-implications-for-east-asian-relations http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1721/the-changing-arena-of-power-contestation-between-the-state-and-chaebols-in-south-korea-democracy-and-the-ascent-of-legal-institutions By Tan A. Seng - The growth of the South Korean economy has often been attributed to the rise of Chaebols, or family owned businesses with wide-ranging conglomeratelike economic interests. The embeddedness of the Chaebol in Korea's political economy has allowed them to emerge as a major actor, with significant influence in the political arena – as a result of their role as stabilizers of the economy. This is a significant development, considering the relatively weaker position of the Chaebol vis-à-vis the state, under authoritarian rule. With democratization and their association with South Korea'... Thu, 30 Nov 2017 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1721/the-changing-arena-of-power-contestation-between-the-state-and-chaebols-in-south-korea-democracy-and-the-ascent-of-legal-institutions http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1707/decision-making-theories-and-chinas-military-intervention-in-the-korean-war By Hao Ming Xiong - This article uses two decision-making theories – rational choice theory and prospect theory – to examine China’s resolution to intervene militarily in the Korean War. I argue that Chairman Mao Zedong was in a domain of loss both domestically and internationally when the U.N. Command crossed the 38 Parallel and approached the Yalu River. In this context, loss aversion predisposed him to gamble on a risky option – direct military intervention – which is estimated to have a higher utility than strengthening border defenses, an option that would have been more attractive... Wed, 22 Nov 2017 09:42 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1707/decision-making-theories-and-chinas-military-intervention-in-the-korean-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1650/alienating-ethnic-kin-assessing-immigration-integration-policies-for-the-brazilian-nikkeijin-in-japan-and-joseonjok-marriage-migrants-in-south-korea By Kenneth Lee - In recent decades, Japan and South Korea have become hosts to ethnic return migrants who have returned to their ancestral homeland after once emigrating overseas. Since the 1980s, the Brazilian nikkeijin, or members of the Japanese diaspora, have returned to Japan as labor migrants. From 1992, joseonjok, or ethnic Korean Chinese, migrant women traveled to South Korea to marry Korean men. Japan and South Korea have targeted these groups for their ethnic affinities – the attraction and kinship between the homeland population and returning migrants – on the presumption that they would... Mon, 22 May 2017 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1650/alienating-ethnic-kin-assessing-immigration-integration-policies-for-the-brazilian-nikkeijin-in-japan-and-joseonjok-marriage-migrants-in-south-korea http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1440/what-were-maos-motivations-for-intervention-in-the-korean-war By Ciaran Kovach - Chinese intervention in Korea in October 1950 continued a period of hideous violence and death in China's history. Between 1927 and 1949, around 21.5 to 27.5 million Chinese had died in the Second Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War. Despite this terrible loss of life, exactly one year after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and the establishment of an uneasy peace, Chinese troops were once again marching to war, now in Korea. This intervention would go on to claim between 180,000 and 400,000 Chinese lives (including that of Mao Zedong's own son), possibly even... Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1440/what-were-maos-motivations-for-intervention-in-the-korean-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1069/explaining-chinas-intervention-in-the-korean-war-in-1950 By Bangning Zhou - This issue is especially puzzling when one considers the facts that the economy of the PRC was shattered, with high inflation, extremely tight fiscal budget and lack of material resources. The internal security and authority of the regime was under threat by various acts of sabotage undertaken by remaining Kuomintang (KMT) agents, and the enemy China faced was far stronger in terms of military equipment and logistical supply. It should also be noted that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was preparing for the battles in Taiwan to unify the whole of China. In general, the conditions were highly... Thu, 01 Jan 2015 07:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1069/explaining-chinas-intervention-in-the-korean-war-in-1950 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1188/us-policy-of-engagement-toward-north-korea-normalizing-the-balance-of-terror By Jung-Ju Lee - In this paper, I outline and evaluate three approaches to addressing the international threat posed by North Korea: 1) Hostile isolation through economic sanctions, intimidation, and aggressive military posturing to instigate denuclearization 2) Containment by impeding vertical and horizontal proliferation of North Korean missiles that emphasizes the maintenance of status quo over a policy of denuclearization 3) Engagement through multilateral efforts to offer political and economic incentives in exchange for gradual dismantlement of nuclear weapons production, backed by guarantees of international... Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1188/us-policy-of-engagement-toward-north-korea-normalizing-the-balance-of-terror http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1482/soft-power-deployment-on-the-korean-peninsula By Oleksandr Shykov - South Korea, also known as the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a remarkable country in many ways. It survived the Korean War, supported by American military assistance. It successfully transitioned to democracy after nearly 40 years of authoritarian government. South Korea now boasts a strong economy that joined the trillion-dollar club of world economies in 2004.i The South Korean wave (hullyah) looks unstoppable with its success in Asia and around the globe. But in spite of its impressive résumé, the ROK has been criticized for its handling of diplomatic relations with the Democratic... Fri, 15 Nov 2013 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1482/soft-power-deployment-on-the-korean-peninsula http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/771/refugee-policy-and-foreign-policy-examining-policy-linkage-in-chinese-relations-with-north-korea-myanmar-and-vietnam By Jasmine Lam - This paper analyzes state refugee policies through the lenses of foreign policy behavior and policy linkage. The case studies compare variations in Chinese state policies towards refugees from North Korea, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Through an additional examination of China’s relations with these states, it is found that fluctuations in levels of cooperation, which characterize bilateral relations, help explain differences in state refugee policies. Specifically, the higher level of cooperation between state A and B, the less likely the receiving state A will admit the refugees of state B, and... Fri, 11 Oct 2013 11:46 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/771/refugee-policy-and-foreign-policy-examining-policy-linkage-in-chinese-relations-with-north-korea-myanmar-and-vietnam http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1241/korean-lgbt-trial-error-and-success By Jonathan Kim - South Korea does not have a strong and visible lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender social movement in the public, despite active issue advocacy organizations, political representation from the Democratic Labour Party, and popular television shows that portray LGBT characters and themes.1 The LGBT movement has had a difficult time growing in South Korea because, as some have argued South Korea has long been ignorant about homosexuality and awareness of ‘gay' had not been discovered until the early 1990s.2 I will look at three causal reasons that best describe the dearth of a growing social... Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1241/korean-lgbt-trial-error-and-success http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1223/information-technology-and-control-in-the-dprk By Robert Duffley - In the Hermit Kingdom, information is a crucial resource. Its possession represents access to resource and weapons development techniques, but more importantly, information is what separates North Korean society from the rest of the world. Since the state’s inception, meager rations of information combined with hearty doses of propaganda have kept the populace starved with respect to knowledge of the rest of the world’s progress, which has quickly surpassed their own in the past two decades. Why, then, has the current regime dared implement 21st century communications systems such... Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1223/information-technology-and-control-in-the-dprk http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1257/the-politics-of-asian-regionalism-in-korea-identity-politics-and-its-implications-for-us-rok-relations By Kim Dae-Gyeong - Drawing from the concept of national identity in the Constructivist School of International Relations, this paper sheds light on the interaction between identity politics and pan-Asian regionalist vision in South Korea today by examining how competing political groups – the progressives, leftists and conservatives – have formulated differing regional policies and long-term goals. After showing that each group’s distinctive identities toward North Korea and the United States have influenced the formation of controversies over regionalist visions, this paper suggests that successful... Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1257/the-politics-of-asian-regionalism-in-korea-identity-politics-and-its-implications-for-us-rok-relations http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/22/henry-parks-identity-through-selves-and-space-in-native-speaker By Scott Berghegger - How does a person define what he is? Homeland? Henry was born on an airplane over the Pacific. Upbringing? His childhood home was founded in Korean morals but built on American capital. Residence? Henry asserts that he is American, but he becomes Korean in some parts of the cultural amalgamation that is New York City. Deficient of cultural root metaphors and myths, Henry Park’s story has no place anywhere in the canons of strictly Korean or strictly American narrative except within itself. Everyone, save Henry, is defined by place in Native Speaker. But Henry is an anomalous category, not... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/22/henry-parks-identity-through-selves-and-space-in-native-speaker