Noisy Screening Models for the Educational Cramp in Korea

This paper develops pedagogical job-matching screening models in order to explain the educational cramp in Korean National College Entrance Examination. The models developed here incorporate two kinds of factors into the standard screening model, which potentially make the examination in Korea noisy as a screening device. The first factor is measurement error associated with the examination itself. It is demonstrated that the matching efficiency from screening is aggravated not only by the measurement error itself but also by the individuals\u27 self-selections in their applications. The second factor is the moral hazard problem caused by private tutoring. It is demonstrated that at reasonable screening equilibria overspending in private tutoring by low productivity types and underspending by high productivity types may exist simultaneously. These individuals\u27 adverse selections in private tutoring may also aggravate the matching efficiency. Under these circumstances, the economic impact of Korean 7.30 Education Reform in l980 is discussed. This reform initiated the prohibition of private tutoring for high school students in Korea

Can COVID-19 mark a tipping point for home-based telework? Conflict between untact technology and rigid institutions in Korea

BackgroundPreviously, Korea showed a passive attitude toward home-based telework; however, this stance rapidly changed after the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustaining home-based telework entails adjusting productivity conditions, introducing performance-based evaluations, and modifying employment rules, as required by the Korean Labor Standards Act, which demand the consent of most workers. This study aims to explore the societal and institutional shifts necessary for ongoing home-based telework post-pandemic.MethodsThis study discusses the sustainability of home-based work based on survey data and materials from institutions and previous research. It used data from the Workplace Panel Survey provided by the Korea Labor Institution for 3 years (2015, 2017, and 2019) to examine the status of home-based work and business responses. It also addresses legal issues related to changes in working conditions and worker-management agreements resulting from telework implementation. Legal aspects of telework are explained using relevant sections of Korea’s labor laws.ResultsTo establish home-based telework as a working method relevant to the Fourth Industrial Revolution after the pandemic, essential discussions are needed regarding its fundamental applicability to specific job sectors. Moreover, to activate home-based telework without deteriorating working conditions, achieving agreement between workers and management is imperative. However, legal complexities necessitate systemic changes for effective resolution. For the sustainable continuity of telework, a blend of societal awareness and institutional transformations is indispensable.DiscussionThe growth of home-based telework through untact technology expansion is hindered by inflexible Korean labor laws, judicial precedents, and worker-management relations. The absence of necessary legal and organizational changes could lead Korea to revert to pre-pandemic norms or slow implementation. Initially prevalent in IT, home-based telework has expanded across sectors due to the pandemic. Leading the “new normal,” companies creatively enhance productivity through telework, but rigid systems and outdated cultures could impede post-pandemic progress.ConclusionThe study highlights the need for forward-looking institutional changes and adaptation to advancing technology. It provides valuable insights for organizations and policymakers to optimize work dynamics and enhance employee and employer well-being in the post-COVID-19 era

Cyanidin 3-O-arabinoside suppresses DHT-induced dermal papilla cell senescence by modulating p38-dependent ER-mitochondria contacts

Abstract Background Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a genetic disorder caused by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), accompanied by the senescence of androgen-sensitive dermal papilla cells (DPCs) located in the base of hair follicles. DHT causes DPC senescence in AGA through mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the mechanism of this pathogenesis remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the protective role of cyanidins on DHT-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and DPC senescence and the regulatory mechanism involved. Methods DPCs were used to investigate the effect of DHT on mitochondrial dysfunction with MitoSOX and Rhod-2 staining. Senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity assay was performed to examine the involvement of membrane AR-mediated signaling in DHT-induced DPC senescence. AGA mice model was used to study the cyanidins on DHT-induced hair growth deceleration. Results Cyanidin 3-O-arabinoside (C3A) effectively decreased DHT-induced mtROS accumulation in DPCs, and C3A reversed the DHT-induced DPC senescence. Excessive mitochondrial calcium accumulation was blocked by C3A. C3A inhibited p38-mediated voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) expression that contributes to mitochondria-associated ER membrane (MAM) formation and transfer of calcium via VDAC1–IP3R1 interactions. DHT-induced MAM formation resulted in increase of DPC senescence. In AGA mice models, C3A restored DHT-induced hair growth deceleration, which activated hair follicle stem cell proliferation. Conclusions C3A is a promising natural compound for AGA treatments against DHT-induced DPC senescence through reduction of MAM formation and mitochondrial dysfunction

Flexibility, instability and institutional insecurity in Korea labor market

행사명 : Joint Seminar on Economic Crisis and Restructuring in Kore

Identifying the Virtuous Circle of Humanity Education and Post-Graduate Employment: Evidence from a Confucian Country

As education for sustainable development receives continuing attention, universities provide regular courses, education programs, and individual activities on human rights, diversity, and corporate responsibilities. This study conducts an empirical analysis of a virtuous circle between experience in extracurricular programs as part of humanity education and performance in the labor market based on Education–Career matched data of 15,180 students who graduated from one of the Confucian-based universities between 2008 and 2015. The analysis found that employment is positively affected by not only grades but also extracurricular activities related to humanities, such as completion of an education and practice course on etiquette and social service activities. These findings are significant in verifying that the level of refinement of university students and their participation in social volunteering can have positive effects on employment, thereby leading to the sustainability of a virtuous circle between education and social and economic activities. Therefore, universities should formulate an educational system that integrates expertise, human growth, equality, and human rights, and firms should establish a specific employment manual to identify the invisible characteristics of job seekers to facilitate the sustainability of a virtuous circle between education and social and economic activities

How do Labor Unions Influence the Gender Earnings Gap? A Comparative Study of the US and Korea

This paper provides a comparative study of the United States and Korea regarding the effects of unions on gender earnings gaps in 2004. Using datasets representative of the population of the US and Korea, this contribution shows that gender differences in the workers' observed characteristics and the unobserved component reduce gender earnings gaps in union jobs in both the US and Korea. Fringe benefits in the union sector attract women workers with higher labor market qualifications into the union sector and thereby reduce the gender earnings gap in this sector. The study finds that this self-selection process in the union sector is stronger in Korea than in the US, but the seniority-based wage system that prevails in the Korean union sector widens the gender earnings gap.Gender earnings gap, trade unions, comparison of the US and Korea,