Evolution Korea
Korean scientists don't take chances when it comes to the fight over evolution. The Society for Textbook Revise has been fighting to get rid of Archaeopteryx horses, the Archaeopteryx, and other evolutionist icons from textbooks.
Confucian traditions with their emphasis on global success and the value of education, still dominate the country's culture. However, Korea is seeking an alternative development model.
Origins
The growth of Iron Age cultures brought more sophisticated states to the Korean Peninsula, including Goguryeo and Baekje. They all developed a unique culture which blended with the influence of their powerful neighbours and they also adopted aspects of Chinese culture, including Confucianism and Buddhism however shamanism continued to be practiced.
Goguryeo the first of the Korean kingdoms was the first kingdom to establish their own form of government. It established a king-centered system of government in the 2nd century. It expanded its territory to Manchuria and the northern part of the Peninsula by an array of wars that drove the Han loyalists from the region.
At this time the regional confederation of Buyeo was established. In the Samguk yusa of the 13th century, Wang Geon's name was mentioned as king. Buyeo was changed to Goryeo and, consequently, the name was adopted by Korea. Goryeo was a great commercial state as well as a center of learning. Its people cultivated crops and raised livestock such as sheep and goats. They also made furs from them as well. They performed masked dance dramas such as tallori and sandaenori. And they held a festival every year in December, which was called Yeonggo.
Goryeo's economy was boosted by brisk trade with other nations, including the Song dynasty of China. Byeongnando was the gateway to Gaeseong the capital city of Gaeseong. Traders came from Central Asia, Arabia and Southeast Asia. Some of the items they brought included silk and medicinal herbs.
Around 8,000 BCE the Koreans began establishing permanent settlements and cultivating cereal crops. They also developed pottery and polished stone tools and started organising themselves into clan societies. The Neolithic Age continued until the 12th Century BC. At the time, Gija, a Shang dynasty prince from China, is said to have introduced high-culture to Korea. Many Koreans believed, up until the 20th century, that Gija and Dangun gave Korea their people and basic culture.
Functions
Korea's previous development model that stressed the importance of state-led capital accumulation and government intervention in industry and business, contributed to rapid economic growth that catapulted it from being one of the world's poorest economies to the ranks of OECD countries in just three decades. However, this model was filled with moral hazard and outright corruption which made it unsustainable in a global economy of liberalization, trade and democratization.
The current crisis has revealed the flaws of the old paradigm, and it is likely that an alternative model will emerge in its place. The chapters 3 and 4 examine the roots of Korea's government and business risk partnership and show how the new economic actors that had an desire to maintain this system hindered Korea from making major changes. By focusing on corporate governance and the allocation of financial resources, these chapters provide an in-depth analysis of the root causes of the crisis and point to ways of moving forward with reforms.
Chapter 5 examines the possible routes of Korea's evolving development paradigm during the post-crisis period, exploring both the legacy of the past as well as new trends generated by the IT revolution and globalization. It also focuses on how these changes will impact Korea's political and social structures.
The main conclusion is that there are a variety of emerging trends that are altering the nature of power and will decide the future of the country. For example, despite the fact that participation in politics is still highly restricted in Korea new methods of political activism are able to bypass and challenge political parties, thus transforming democratic system in the country.
Another important finding is that the influence and power of the Korean elite has diminished. A large segment of the society feels disconnected from the ruling class. This is a sign of the need for more civic education and participation as well as new ways of power sharing. The chapter concludes that the success or failure of Korea's development model will depend on how these new trends are incorporated with the ability to make tough choices.
Benefits
South Korea is the world's ninth largest economy, and the sixth fastest growing. It has a huge and growing middle class, and a robust research and development base that drives innovation. Additionally, the government has recently increased its investment in infrastructure projects to support economic growth and encourage social equity.
In 2008 the Lee Myung-bak administration announced five indicators that would be used in an attempt to establish a new development system with a focus on improvements and practicality. It made efforts to streamline government organization and privatize public corporations for greater efficiency, and reform administrative regulation.
Since the end of Cold War, South Korea is pursuing a strategy for integration of its economy with the rest of the world and beyond the region. Exports of high-tech consumer electronics as well as advanced manufacturing technologies have become a major source of income. The government is also promoting Saemaeul Undong, which is a new movement of the community, to transform the country from a society that is primarily agricultural into one that is focused on manufacturing.
The country has a high quality of life and offers many benefits to employees such as maternity leave, and job stability. Employers are also required to purchase accident insurance, which covers the cost of work-related illnesses and injuries. In addition, it is common for companies to offer private medical insurance that provides insurance for illnesses that are not covered by the National Health Insurance.
In the end, South Korea has been considered a model of success for many of the developing nations around the globe. However the global financial crisis that swept through Asia in 1997 challenged this perception. The crisis shattered the conventional wisdom about Asia’s miracle economies, and prompted an entirely new understanding of the role of governments in regulating risky private activities.
In the wake of this transformation the Korean future is still unclear. A new generation of leaders have taken on the image of a "strong leader" and begun to explore market-oriented policies. On the contrary, a strong domestic power base has made it difficult to implement radical changes.
Advantages
The reemergence and resurgence of creationists is a major hurdle to Korean science's efforts to inform the public about evolution. The majority of Koreans support teaching students about evolution however a small group led by Bun-Sam Lim (the head of the Society for Textbook Revise, STR) is advocating for its removal from textbooks. STR believes that teaching evolution is promoting a "materialist atheism" and reflects an "unhopeful worldview" for students. This can cause students to lose faith in humanity.
The reasons behind this anti-evolution stance are complex and varied. simply click the following article suggest that it is due to religious belief, while others point to an increasing prevalence of anti-intellectualism, which has been exacerbated by growing political elite fragmentation along ideologies, regions, class, and gender. The one-sided populism, supported by powerful conservative think organizations, business interests and other influential groups, has also led to a growing distrust of the scientific community.
In the end, the study's findings on numerous vulnerabilities point to the need for targeted policies to mitigate them in advance. These insights will help Seoul to reach its goal of becoming an urban landscape that is cohesive.
In the COVID-19 case, identifying the vulnerable neighborhoods and the occupants is essential for the development of precise, compassionate policies to improve their lives and security. For example, the disproportionate effect of the pandemic on Jjokbangs reflect the socio-economic differences that could increase the vulnerability to natural and man-made catastrophes.
To overcome this, South Korea needs a more inclusive civil society that can bring all communities together to address the city's most pressing challenges. This requires a fundamental shift in the structure of the institution, starting with the power of the presidency. The Blue House can mobilize a large bureaucracy and utilize the Supreme Prosecutor's Office, and the intelligence bureau to exert influence on the political scene. These agencies are not subject to oversight by parliamentary bodies or independent inspection agencies. This gives the president a huge power to force his or her own vision on the rest of the country. This is a recipe that can lead stagnation and polarization of the country.