Filipino village in Korea

Korea changed from a labor exporting country to a labor importing country during the 1990s. The development of the Korean economy and a labor shortage in the 3D industries (difficult, dirty, and dangerous) have made many foreigners from less developed Asian countries seek employment in Korea as trainees or undocumented workers. This migration transition has considerably influenced the social, cultural, and economic structure of Korea as well as the immigration policies of the Korean government. This is a case study of Filipino migrant workers, most of whom are low wage factory workers living in a city of suburban Seoul in Korea. These Filipino workers have established their community through a migrant center and a Catholic Church. In-depth interviewing and participant observation are the main research methods for this study. Filipino Village is the center of their community in the city. Most chapters of this study describe the lives of these people, focusing on several topics--the process of coming to Korea, housing and community, family relations, work and labor problems, racial relations and discrimination, and dreams for the future. Their stories illustrate the difficulties of assimilation and the process of marginalization of foreign workers in a host society. Individual experiences of migrant workers are interpreted in the context of the macrostructure of migration, and their community is discussed as a racial and ethnic minority group. The roles of migrant centers and the Korean government are discussed in the terms of protection and control of migrant workers. The heart of the problems regarding immigrant workers in Korea, including Filipino workers, can be summarized by two features: their invisibility and their temporary residential status. Korean society keeps immigrant workers invisible and prevents their becoming members of society in many ways. The boundary between Koreans and immigrant workers is clear and deep. The racial and ethnic differentiation between immigrant workers and Koreans as well as the immigrant workers\u27 economic status at the bottom of the job structure and their lack of legitimacy to work in Korea marginalize them and keep them as outsiders in Korean society

Communicating about the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak to the international community and in-country foreigners, Republic of Korea, 2015

During the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) of the Republic of Korea provided outbreak information targeting international visitors and foreign residents through multiple channels. The MOHW created a MERS portal website in Korean and English on 10 June 2015; in addition, the existing MOHW website provided English-language press releases beginning 28 May. A toll-free telephone hotline also started service in English on 12 June; it expanded to include 18 other foreign languages on 15 June. This report describes the usage of these multi-language communication channels during this MERS outbreak

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Oxidative Activities of Phenolic Compounds from Alnus sibirica Stems Fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. argentoratensis

Fermentation of Alnus sibirica (AS) stems using Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. argentoratensis was conducted and three compounds isolated from the Alnus species were identified for the first time, 7-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-heptan-3-one, 1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-heptan-3-one and 4-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-butan-2-one, along with 14 known compounds. The anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory abilities of AS and fermented AS (FAS) as well as the isolated phenolic compounds from FAS were investigated. FAS showed stronger anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities than non-fermented AS

Engaging the international community during the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in the Republic of Korea

The 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in the Republic of Korea, which started with an imported case and spread throughout the country with a total of 186 cases, revealed the vulnerabilities of the health-care system of the country. The situation was compounded by the unique health-care settings in the Republic of Korea, including crowded emergency departments and large numbers of hospital visitors seeking care at multiple hospitals. To assist with the outbreak response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea hosted several international joint missions that provided valuable information and recommendations for MERS control and prevention of future outbreaks. This report briefly summarizes the missions’ outcomes and discusses their positive impacts

Design of an AI Model for a Fully Automatic Grab-Type Ship Unloader System

In seaports, the automatic Grab-Type Ship Unloader (GTSU) stands out for its ability to automatically load and unload materials, offering the potential for substantial productivity improvement and cost reduction. Developing a fully automatic GTSU, however, presents a unique challenge: the system must autonomously determine the position of the cargo hold and the coordinates of the working point and identify potential hazards during material loading and unloading. This paper proposes AI models designed to detect cargo holds, extract working points, and support collision risk warnings, utilizing both the LiDAR sensor and the camera in the GTSU system. The model for cargo hold detection and collision warning was developed using image data of the cargo hold and grab, employing the You Only Look Once model. Concurrently, the model responsible for extracting the coordinates of working points for the GTSU system was designed by integrating the cargo hold detection and point cloud processing models. After testing the AI models for the lab-scale GTSU, the results show that the cargo hold detection and collision warning models achieve an accuracy of approximately 96% and 90%, respectively. Additionally, the working point coordinates extracted from the sensor system show a deviation of 5–10% compared to traditional measurements

Design and Performance Analysis of a Saturated Iron-Core Superconducting Fault Current Limiter for DC Power Systems

A saturated iron-core superconducting fault current limiter (SI-SFCL) can significantly limit the magnitude of the fault current and reduce the stress on circuit breakers in direct current (DC) power systems. The SI-SFCL consists of three main parts: one magnetic iron-core, one normal conductive primary coil (CPC), and one superconducting secondary coil (SSC). This paper deals with the design options for the coil system of the SI-SFCL and confirms their operating characteristics through a physical experiment. The electromagnetic characteristics and operational features of the SI-SFCL was analyzed by a 3D finite element method simulation model. The design of the SSC was based on shape, wire types, required fault current limit and protection aspects. In the CPC, the bobbin was designed based on material selection, cost, structural design, and the effects of the SI-SFCL on the fault current limit. Based on these simulation results, a laboratory-scale SI-SFCL was developed, specifically fabricated to operate on a 500 V, 50 A direct current (DC) power system. In the experiment, the operating characteristics of each coil were analyzed, and the fault current limit of the SI-SFCL according to the operating currents of the SSC and bobbin design of the CPC were confirmed. Finally, the cost analysis of the SI-SFCL with the proposed design options of the coil system was implemented. The results obtained through this study can be effectively used to large-scale SI-SFCL development studies for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power systems

Suggestion of a New Protection Scheme for a Transmission System Equipped with a Thyristor-Controlled Series Capacitor

A thyristor-controlled series capacitor (TCSC) is employed to a transmission line in order to enhance the usable capacity of the present as well as upgraded lines, improve system stability, reduce losses, and improve power flow control capability. However, in an abnormal situation, the TCSC may transit from the existing operation mode to the other mode according to its control system and protection strategy. There is much difference in the impedance of the TCSC between each mode. This threatens the reliability of the conventional protection system, especially the distance relay, that works based on the measurement of line impedance. In this paper, we suggest a new protection scheme for a distance relay of a transmission line equipped with a TCSC. In the suggested method, in order to mitigate the effect of the TCSC in the fault loop, the TCSC injected voltage is subtracted from the measured phase voltage before supplying the voltage signal to the distance relay. The suggested scheme was verified by a real time digital simulator (RTDS)-based closed-loop test bed of a protective relay. The effect of the TCSC in the fault loop was completely mitigated. The distance relay works properly with the suggested schem