2008, Vol.35, No.1

Korean Social Science Journal 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.06

pISSN : 1225-0368 / eISSN : 2196-4424
https://journal.kci.go.kr/kssj

This research examined empirically the patterning of sustainable development of South Korea and Thailand. For the empirical verification forty indicators were selected drawing upon the conceptual components of sustainable development and they were applied to diverse statistical assessment. The research findings pointed to three facts. Firstly, the indicators held considerably high explanatory power for identifying sustainable development structure of both Korea and Thailand. Secondly, the relative importance of individual indicator and category was significantly different between the two countries whereas the relative importance of dimensions showed the same pattern in that the environment was most important determining the state of sustainable development, which is followed by the social and the economy. Thirdly, during the 10 years period between 1994 and 2003, sustainable development had been shaped with a significant interaction among the environmental, the social and the economic factors in Korea and Thailand alike.

This paper attempts to draw policy implications on the development strategy based on the Korean experiences in ‘60s and ‘70s. It is well-known that Korea switched her development strategy to the export oriented (and unbalanced) one from the import substitution, or "Autarkic" development strategy. It was also market-friendly. Under this strategy, all available resources were concentrated to the leading export industries in ‘60s and heavy and chemical industries in ‘70s. Some detailed strategies in the areas of monetary, fiscal, industrial, foreign exchange, and other sectors are identified and critically evaluated whether they could be adopted as the feasible development strategies for any developing countries. It is pointed out that these strategies for success could cause problems later, so that the switch of the policy stance at the right time is important. I would like to thank three anonymous referees for their valuable comments. All the remaining errors are mine.

The research presents an introduction to the experiential psychotherapy method of Focusing and illustrates its implementation through a successful case study of a 54 year old Korean male client. The client, through the therapy sessions and personal practice of Focusing was able to find his core issue, gain insight, and achieve change in being and behavior. The 20 Focusing sessions with the client are further analyzed using the Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) method (Hill, Thompson & Williams, 1994). The results that emerged were grouped into three domains and six themes. In the core issue/problem domain, themes of "choking experience" and "finding a safe place" were drawn. In the insight domain, "rebirth of a new person" and "mind body as one" were the key themes. The third domain of practice revealed themes of "high motivation with psychological mind" and "rigorous practice." Finally, the application of Focusing-oriented psychotherapy and counseling implications in Korea are discussed.