Online Journal Mundo Asia Pacifico

One of the faces of labor precariousness in South Korea:

Álvaro Galliorio Jorquera — 2025-01-22

This paper seeks to bring to the forefront the situation of digital delivery platform workers in South Korea. To do this, two sources of data will be used, first, a survey conducted by the Korea Labor Institute (KLI) and, second, news and reports that have delved into the subject. For its analysis, the concept of labor precariousness is considered, establishing two fundamental elements: 1) the working conditions promoted by digital delivery platforms; and 2) the reaction of workers to these working conditions. Finally, the conclusions show how both elements converge and the challenges that this implies for the country.

Artificial Itelligence in the digital ecosystem of South Korea.

Bárbara Bavoleo — 2025-01-22

This paper provides an overview of digital transformation policies and the implementation of emerging technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence, and their impact on the political and social aspects of South Korea. The main objective is to examine how these initiatives have contributed to the development of a robust digital ecosystem and South Korea's position as a global leader in emerging technologies. It examines how these technologies have influenced the management of public services, citizen safety, and the quality of life, as well as how the country has positioned itself on this topic in the global environment. This is done through an analysis of secondary data, literature reviews, regulations, statistics, and reports from international organizations to gain a comprehensive understanding of various aspects related to digital transformation and the implementation of data sets, networks, and Artificial Intelligence technologies in South Korea. It is expected to contribute to understanding the key factors for the success of digital transformation policies and to identify lessons learned and best practices that can be applied in other contexts.

Anlysis fo the democratic principles on the rulings fo the Constitutional Court of Korea

Bernardita González Lustig — 2025-01-22

This research aims to determine whether the values promoted as a democratic society in South Korea are reflected in the rulings of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea. We analyze two rulings, selected because they are emblematic political cases. We employ a qualitative methodology following the exegetical-dogmatic method, and review the legal interpretation made by the judges with respect to the democratic principles declared in the selected judgments: freedom of association, transparency and democratic order. We argue that the rulings of the Constitutional Court promote democratic values that are manifested in the principles contained in them, thus contributing to the consolidation of democracy. We conclude that the role of the Constitutional Court in South Korea is to act as an institution created to strengthen the rule of law, which fulfills the task of promoting universal democratic values through its rulings.

Women migration from South Korea to Mexico:

Diana Gabriela Poox Martínez — 2025-01-22

This paper presents the migratory profile of Korean women migrants in Mexico City, and their role in diasporic life, highlighting their importance in the formation of migrant networks and the maintenance of cultural patterns. Throughout the chapters: “The review: Findings from a state of the art”, and “Female Korean migration in Mexico”; I will address the representations of Korean women in migration studies in the country, the characteristic profile of female Korean migrations, and the particularities of Korean migrations in Mexico City. These chapters are designed to satisfy the objectives of contributing to the visibility of women as protagonists of Korean migration, through their representation in academic writings and their role in diasporic life; this to enrich the work carried out in the country about Korean migrations, as well as to highlight the importance of the gender perspective in migration research.

Narratives of the south Korean city:

Diego Conejeros Arias — 2025-01-22

This paper takes up the theoretical perspective that defines how the city operates as a subjectivation device. In addition to this, literature is understood as a space that let authors, among other things, to articulate critical discourses on the various aspects of human activity. Considering these perspectives as background, a literary analysis – of the narrative works Paliza Colectiva by Yun Heung-gil and La Casa del Chico by Park Wan-suh – is carried out. These stories allow us to observe the relationship between city and subjectivity in the South Korean context, a country where cities are built, in the official discourses, as flags of social development and technological progress. This article aims to be an approach to the way in which the critical masses of South Korean authors have problematized the experience of inhabiting the contemporary city. In this way, we recognize in Yun and Park’s stories views that highlight the most degraded aspects of urban spaces, presenting characters whose subjectivities are in tension with their immediate surroundings.

South Korean plastic surgery show "Let me in" as a rtualized event

Judith Eunice Silva Gonzalez — 2025-01-22

Plastic surgery is a recurrent and important theme in Korean society that is exposed in different ways from the Korean entertainment world. Specifically, the plastic surgery show "Let me in" shows clearly what are the thoughts and conclusions that revolve around the physical appearance of people. Therefore, this work is an anthropological analysis of "Let me in" as a media ritual event because its structure is similar to that of a rite of passage: separation, liminality, reinstatement. In this sense, the revised bibliography explains the perspective of the body as a modifiable object and how the media have transformed the rituals. The videos in which the television show can be seen were also analyzed to explain the relationship between each part and a media ritual. Finally, the analysis leads to conclude that within the show, as a rite of passage, the body is conceived as a symbol that holds different meanings before being taken and after being reinserted into society. In this sense, this work analyzes how the program exposes the ideology of beauty that prevails in Korean society and how it affects the daily social relations of South Koreans.

The Impact of Gender Equiality and the Women's Empowerment in the Saero-Maji Plan in South Korea

Lilian Alvarez Torres — 2025-01-22

The objective of this research is to study the public policies aligned with the Saero-Maji Plan by analyzing it from a gender equality and female empowerment perspective, in order to show that the progress of these variables has a negative impact on the effectiveness of the Saero-Maji Plan and its strategies to increase the birth rate in South Korea.

The research will be divided into three stages, beginning with a historical analysis of the causes of the Saero-Maji Plan in Korea. The second phase of the research focuses on the stages of the plan and how it has evolved according to the social changes faced by the country. Finally, the context of the development of gender equality policies and society's perception of women's empowerment will be investigated, and finally an analysis of the effectiveness of the Korean government's pro-natalist policies and programs with respect to the variables studied will be addressed.

Loss of influence and fall of North Korean diplomacy in Latin America:

Luciano Damian Bolinaga — 2025-01-22

This research characterizes and explains the loss of influence and the decline of North Korean diplomacy at the beginning of the 21st century, taking as a key study variable the perception of Latin American political elites given the secrecy of the “Hermit Kingdom.” Of course, the study period also included a broader temporal segment in order to cover the establishment of diplomatic relations and the main issues that framed the evolution of the relationship.

Therefore, we work on two levels of analysis: a) official relations and b) unofficial relations. From a methodological point of view, we start from a qualitative approach in order to be able to account for the most significant details, that is, we do not seek to make generalizations but rather to consider the specificity and particularity of each case. We carry out in-depth interviews and exhaustive work on documentary analysis and documentary archives. As the main research technique, we resorted to the case study and structured the research program in three phases. Each difficult phase lasts a year, the third is ongoing, but advanced, and two cases were studied in each of these phases: a) Argentina and Brazil; b) Mexico and Cuba and c) Venezuela and Chile.

This research sought to systematize and document the knowledge and experience of the directing actors in the Latin American political groups that forged and maintain today a bridge between North Korea and the region.

Modification of architectural spaces for musical performances.

Mónica Estrada Gonzalez — 2025-01-22

The present article explains the concept of multifunctionality resulting from the architectural modification of spaces for musical performances, taking as case study the South Korean cultural industry and music genre, K-pop, in the socio-cultural field. The definitions of the aforementioned concepts are discussed in order to bring them together and explain them in the context of architecture, as well as explaining the development of K-pop in Mexico City. Likewise, the evolution of musical performances in the city and the organisations in charge of them over time are mentioned.

On the other hand, the characteristics and distinctions of the K-pop genre and the development of its performance activities and events are discussed. In addition, the opinions of individuals and experts related to both case studies are considered, with the purpose of complementing the technical information and combining it into new knowledge. Also, the qualities and indicators of the architectural modification that can be oriented towards the creation of multifunctional spaces (venues) with the possible influence of the aforementioned cultural industry, are mentioned.

The new Korean dream? Mexican women in South Korea

Nayelly López Rocha — 2025-01-22

Are the men from the Republic of Korea the new dream of Mexican women? This is the question we pose as the focus of this research. In order to respond to it, we investigate the elements that lead Mexican women, through in-depth interviews, to configure a particular imaginary of Korean men. We postulate that cultural and entertainment products from Korea have actively influenced the configuration of specific masculinities that foster the interest of Mexican women, mainly young people, on Korean men. We explore the possibility that Mexican women feel motivated, through these created imaginaries, to emigrate to the Asian country and establish formal family ties with Korean men.

The Scientific diplomacy of the Republic of South Korea:

Armando Renato Balderrama Santander — 2025-01-22

The present research addresses the importance of the use of scientific diplomacy as a tool of international politics under an approach of what has been called soft power, which has been used particularly by emerging middle powers, such as the Republic of Korea (in hereinafter Korea), taking as a case study the foreign policy strategy for scientific and technological cooperation implemented between the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) with some priority countries in Africa and Latin America.

Editorial

Juan Carlos Díaz Vásquez — 2025-01-22