This study analyzed data from the 1970 Korean Census to uncover the determinants of women's labor force participation (LFP) in Korea, in 1970, when industrialization was beginning and the traditional sex-roles of Confucianism prevailed. The population surveyed included urban women aged 14-65 (19,277 married, 4373 single and living with parents, and 3222 single living independently). The study began by reviewing supply side explanations for LFP by women that predict women with high earning potential are likely to participate in the labor force, and noting that this economic explanation fails to consider the effects of cultural mechanisms that emphasize female domesticity. The study then comments on the labor market structure in Korea, in 1970, that led to limited employment opportunities for women, the domestic ideology that was prevalent during the early industrial stage, and the impact of this domestic ideology on Korean women. The logistic regressions used in the analytical methodology are then described, and it is hypothesized that women will be less likely to seek employment if they have adequate family resources, they are married and have children, and they are part of an extended family. It is further hypothesized that women's education will have no significant impact on employment and that university education is important as a marriage asset. The study results support this hypothesis in regard to single women living with parents, but reveal a slight effect of education on LFP among married women.
Korea has undoubtedly developed one of the most dynamic economies in the world. Having realized a successful industrialization, Korea now faces formidable challenges in science and technology. Korea has the problems of meeting competition from countries with more efficient industries as well as those with lower labor costs. Korea must muster the human capital, as well as financial and other resources for domestic R&D to maintain a continued industrial growth path, complemented by imported technology. Korea has to promote its own technological innovation with R&D efforts that are essential in meeting the constraints imposed on it in the changing global economy. This paper discusses the profound impact of science and technology on Korea’s economy, as well as its implication for the global economy.
"This paper examines the background and trends of the overseas migration of Koreans, which started in the late 19th century because of economic, political, and social conditions in the Korean peninsula. Major characteristics and problems of Korean communities overseas are also discussed using China as an example."
"The main purpose of this study is to develop explanations for the pattern of recently changing trends and regional differences in the sex ratio at birth in Korea and for Koreans in Jilin Province and Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture, China.... The findings suggest that, since the mid-1980s, sex ratios at birth have risen remarkably in Korea.... This paper also highlights the recent increase in the sex ratio at birth for the Korean population in China, residing in urban areas densely populated with Koreans. As the key forces behind the regional differences in sex ratios at birth, the effects of son-selective reproductive behaviors, which in turn, are affected by the community characteristics, are stressed."
"In this article, I first survey briefly the history of Korean immigration to the United States from 1903 to the present. Second, I explain the motivations and entry mechanisms that brought Korean immigrants into the United States. Third, I document and explain the changes in the class backgrounds of Korean immigrants during the last three decades. Finally, I examine how such changes have affected the patterns of social and economic adaptation among the different waves of immigrants."
