Author : Sangsoo Lim Publication : East Asian Studies Publisher : Sogang Institute for East Asian Studies Volume : 42(2) Date : August 2023 Abstract: Japan adopted a series of policies in 1971 that came to be known as the ‘Three Non-Nuclear Principles’, outlining that Japan will not produce, possess, or introduce nuclear weapons. The Three Non-Nuclear Principles featured an exceptionally high degree of non-proliferation commitment when compared to other states, and they have remained the backbone of Japanese nuclear policy to the present day. Then, what factors motivated Japan to adopt a set of unique non-nuclear policies such as the Three Non-Nuclear Principles in 1971? To answer this question, this paper examined the normative background of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, with an emphasis on the norms that motivated the domestic actors in Japan at the time. The findings show that the following four distinct norms in Japan motivated the domestic actors to advocate the adoption of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles in⋯

Author : Chiwon Choi Publication : Politics & Public Opinion Publisher : The Korean Association for Political Criticism Volume : 32 Date : June 2023 Populism becomes an indicator that can track changes in the meaning of democracy, reflecting the political reality. Populism is not an irrational political phenomenon, a corrupted form of democratic politics or mobocracy. It is not an irrational political phenomenon lacking ideological values. And it is not a mirage that exists in philosophical speculation. The origin of the behavior of Korean intellectuals, scholars, journalists, and politicians misusing populism is found in the anti-communist intellectual·academic climate of the United States, which tried to defend so-called liberal democracy during the Cold War. These Korean ‘mass information purveyors’ are obscuring the essence of the problem by constantly producing information that blurs and distorts the criteria of truth and lies. The problem with scholars who uncritically accept and disseminate this information⋯

Author : Hyun-Jin Cha Publication : Korea Observer Publisher :  Institute of Korean Studies Volume : 54(2) Date : June 2023 Abstract: This paper aims to analyze how the traits of candlelight protest participants have changed from 2004 to 2017 in South Korea. While previous studies have typically identified these traits of the candlelight protesters based on a single survey, this paper examines the change of protest participants using a multi-level analysis. This study argues that voter type and election cycles have a significant impact on an individual’s decision to participate in candlelight protests. To be specific, swing voters are less likely to participate in a candlelight protest when the next election is scheduled either too soon or too far. Core liberal voters with a high degree of motivation are more likely to take part in a candlelight protest when the distance from the next election is close, while core conservative voters with a low degree of motivation are⋯

Author : Inwook Kim, Seung Joon Paik Publication : Korean Political Science Review Publisher : The Korean Political Science Association Volume : 57(2) Date : June 2023 The possibility of nuclear arms control with North Korea, which was previously deemed implausible and unacceptable, is gaining traction among analysts and policymakers. What is missing, however, is proper engagement with theories of nuclear arms control and studies about its relevance to asymmetric nuclear relationships. This paper seeks to fill this gap by first distinguishing between structural and operational arms control, elucidating their rationale, organizing principles, and expected outcomes. Second, because nuclear asymmetry defines and dominates the US-North Korea nuclear tension, structural nuclear arms control is practically impossible to design and politically too costly. On the other hand, nuclear asymmetry exacerbates crisis stability problem, and operational nuclear arms control can provide meaningful crisis management mechanisms with relatively acceptable cost. Link

Author : Sunwoo Paek, Dong Sun Lee Publication : Diplomacy & Statecraft Publisher : Taylor & Francis Volume : 34(1) Date : April 2023 Abstract: This article explains the US curtailment of South Korean nuclear development by attributing this success primarily to the inducements President Ronald Reagan offered. These inducements were reliable because the US as a superpower operating under bipolarity, cared about its reputation as a trustworthy ally and was eager to provide inducements to its interest-sharing client. The inducements exposed Seoul to only a small risk of subordination, given the US’s position as a remote patron. By contrast, the sanctions Reagan’s predecessors threatened to impose were marginally effective, and could only delay Seoul’s nuclear pursuit because geographical remoteness gave them modest credibility. Link

Author : Do MyoYuen, Hyun-Jin Cha Publication : Journal of Contemporary Politics Publisher : Sogang Institute of Political Studies Volume : 16(1) Date : April 2023 Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of Korean protestors, with a particular focus on personal values, political ideology, and personality traits (Big 5). Specifically, the study identifies materialistic and post-materialistic values, as well as political ideology, as the major motivating factors for protest participation. Furthermore, individuals having high levels of values or liberal ideologies are more likely to participate in protests when they are extraverted or open to new experiences. Empirical results show that liberal ideology, extraversion, and openness are direct factors that influence protest participation in South Korea. However, the direct impact of materialism and post-materialism values on protest participation has not been confirmed. In addition, extraversion is found to have indirect effects on protest participation by interacting with⋯

Author : Doo-Jin Kim Publication :  Minjok Yeonku Publisher :  Korea Research Center of Ethnology Volume : 81 Date : March 2023 Abstract: We explore how the concept of “civics” (kongmin) has been formulated or perceived from the period of the US military administration through the 1950s. To do this, we focus on the middle school civics textbook during that time. Civic education during the Japanese colonial period was intended to instill the ‘public’ ideology into the people. Following the introduction of American ‘social studies’, the democratic citizenship education policy under the American military administration continued to have an impact on the indoctrination of Western citizenship in Korea. Afterwards civic education has to do with the abolition of values associated with Japanese colonial rule, the elimination of the status system (feudal class) in Korea (Joseon), and the abolition of discrimination between men and woman, free economy, popular sovereignty, and labor rights. Conceptual⋯

Author : Hyun-Jin Cha Publication :  Journal of Korean Politics Publisher :  The Institute for Political Studies Volume : 32(1) Date : February 2023 Abstract: This paper aims to identify the changes of candlelight protest participants since 2004. While existing literature on candlelight protests tends to analyze the causes of candlelight protests at macro-level or the characteristics of candlelight protestors at micro-level, this paper analyzes the differences between a candlelight protest participant and a nonparticipant at micro-level while simultaneously considering the political opportunity structure. This research asserts that the police responses to protests and the Democratic advantage in Congress are the political opportunity structures that affect people to participate in the candlelight protests. The police responses to protests affect the cost to participate in the candlelight protest while the Democratic advantage in Congress impacts on the benefit from protesting. The impact of the political opportunity structure on the protest participation vary depending⋯

Author : Seongwon Gwon and  Iordanka Alexandrova Publication : The Journal of International Relations Publisher :  The East Asian Association Of International Studies Volume : 25(4) Date : December 2022 Abstract: Why did President Barack Obama’s administration withdraw US troops from Iraq, but not Afghanistan? This article examines Washington’s strategic considerations to answer this question of scholarly and practical importance. It argues that US policy on military interventions was aimed at preserving relative power. Washington decided on keeping US forces in Afghanistan because the benefits of continued intervention surpassed the costs. By staying, America blocked the expansion of Russian and Chinese influence in Central Asia and restrained local militant organizations, thus reducing the likelihood of terrorist activities and regional conflict. These benefits outweighed the moderate expenses for troops deployment and helped maintain US relative strength. Conversely, the US government withdrew from Iraq because the costs of continued intervention nullified the⋯

Author : Sangsoo Lim Publication : Journal of Social Science Publisher :  Research Institute of Social Science, Kyung Hee University Volume : 48(3) Date : December 2022 Abstract: Military integration has been the source of debate in Europe ever since the end of World War II, the debate intensifying due to increasing Russian threat since 2010s. However, despite increasing voice for the need to integrate militarily, there has been very little actual progress in military integration in Europe. What factors are behind such stagnant state of European military integration? This paper argues that Stephen Walt’s balance of threat theory can contribute to explaining the puzzling phenomenon. Applying the theory to the European case, this paper shows that the Eastern and Western Europeans are likely to have different degree of threat perception towards Russia. Such difference is largely caused by two factors: 1) difference in national aggregate power, 2) different geographical proximity to the Russian threat. As a result, more⋯