KJC Korea
Journal Central

The purpose of this study is to understand the behavioral patterns of North Koreans through Lacan’s theory of desire. For this purpose, I tried to examine the North Korean subject and the big Other, focusing on Lacan’s ‘The unconscious is the discourse of the Other’. Lacan believed that the unconscious is formed by the knowledge of the big Other and the social and linguistic structures that operated it. Therefore, in the sense that all desires are formed by the unconscious, even if they are personal, they become the desires of others. Therefore, we present a methodology that considers the characteristics of the social subject by examining the knowledge of the big Other and the linguistic structure that operates it. The power framework that operates the knowledge and language system of North Korea can be said to be the Kim Il-sung unique ideology system. Therefore, the North Korean leader can be seen as Lacan’s big Other. The robustness of the North Korean system, which is not shaken by economic difficulties, can be seen as a result of blocking external language and maintaining a social structure centered on the big Other. In 1974, when Kim Jong-il formalized the Juche ideology as Kim Il-sungism, the absolutism of the Suryong, the brainchild of socio-political living beings, began. ‘socio-political life’ is a life devoted to the system and leader, not the subject. Therefore, it can be seen as alienation of the subject. In order to escape from the alienation of the subject, it is to recognize the difference between the big Other and one’s own desires. However, while the knowledge and language of North Korea’s Kim Il-sung unique ideology system is maintained, the subject can not escape from the desire of the other, which is formed by the unconscious. This study approaches from a differentiated perspective by examining the way the specific forms of knowledge and power suggested by Foucault and Gramsci operate in the relationship between the ruler and the ruled, focusing on the social structure of the Great Other.

Korea-ASEAN cosmetics market is shown the growing business with high potential of export expansion and a very promising area in terms of market diversification under the situation of high proportion of exports to China. Hence, this research will examine the current status of cosmetics market in Korea, ASEAN countries along with the its market growth and analyze Korea-ASEAN cosmetics by item and by nation. In other words, it will suggest competitive alternative reflecting the future reality of the cosmetics industry by analyzing main cosmetic products’ trade intensity and the competitiveness of Korea-ASEAN cosmetics market. Korea recognizes ASEAN’s merits in the cosmetics industry and is trying to improve into future-oriented Korea·ASEAN cosmetics industry through ASEAN cosmetics market measures. This paper understands the importance of Korea-ASEAN cosmetics and presents policy implications about relative trade intensity and continuous growth in the cosmetics market along with the tasks we need to do.

Despite the growth of the global market for organic agri-food products, studies focusing on the consumer purchase behavior towards imported organic goods are rather limited. This paper wishes to contribute to this research area by highlighting the differences and commonalities between Italian and Korean consumers in the process of decision making towards imported organic food products. Both countries have been promoting organic farming and boosting awareness and education towards climate change and the production and consumption of eco-friendly products. The demand for organic products is expected to increase further as a result. Italy and Korea can also count on the EU-ROK Organic Equivalency Agreement which provides a big advantage in terms of trading time and costs. Overall, the factors influencing the decision making of consumers of imported organic foodstuffs are trustworthiness, product attributes, country of origin, and ethical concern. The relative relevance and preference among these factors given by the two consumer groups in the process of decision making were analyzed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology. The results suggest that Italian and Korean consumers value criteria similarly. Nevertheless, there is a difference of perception of the products’ ethical dimension and the relevance given to brand and reputation. Korean consumers are generally more brand oriented and value green image comparatively more, while to Italian consumers distance to the country of origin, and animal welfare are comparatively more important. These new insights can be useful for marketers wishing to enter or strengthen their position in the Korean and / or the Italian markets. Finally, the conclusions drawn can serve as a basis for further research about purchase behavior towards imported organic products.