North Korea has been isolated from the international community because of high-intensity sanctions. Nonetheless, research on North Korea should continue so that we are prepared not for contingencies that may occur because of sudden political changes in that country, as occurred after the unification of Germany and dissolution of the Soviet Union, and also to cope with future risks and threats wisely. This study conducted a quantitative survey regarding “inter-Korean cooperation in science and technology,” targeting experts at the Korean government-funded research institutes. As a qualitative survey, focus group interviews (FGI) were conducted to gain insights into the possibilities, considerations, and procedures for inter-Korean cooperation in science and technology. This study is the first to conduct quantitative research on inter-Korean exchange and cooperation in science and technology and shows significant statistical results.

Socrates argues that individuals can continue to behave morally when trying to explore virtue, distinguishing between copying a moral person’s actions and acting on the basis of virtue itself. This study proves the limitations of South Korea’s moral education, which values moral knowledge as a driver of moral behavior, by analyzing the art of measurement presented by Socrates as a method of recognizing virtue. Consequently, Protagoras was examined to identify the characteristics of the art of measurement, and “all pleasure is good” and “knowledge directly drives action” was problematized. The study concluded that moral knowledge is not a decisive factor in guiding moral behavior in the right direction.

This study examined the factors influencing the organizational satisfaction of employees in public institutions. In the case of public institutions that must provide stable public services on behalf of the government, the organizational satisfaction of employees will be more important. In this regard, this study includes the perception of HRM and trust between employees as affecting factors, and the perception of HRM consisted of sub-components such as fairness of evaluation and excellence of education and training. Moreover, this study considered trust between employees as a mediator. In more specific, online surveys were conducted with 705 employees of public institutions in Korea, and the Structural Equation Model (SEM) was performed. The results indicated that the perception of HRM affected organizational satisfaction directly or indirectly. In addition, trust between employees mediated between all sub-components of perception of HRM and organizational satisfaction. Particularly, trust between employees has been verified to increase the influence of the perception HRM. Meanwhile, in the case of Korea, there are more public institutions than other countries, and many other countries are showing high interest in Korea’s public institution operation system. In this respect, dealing with Korean public institutions as examples provides important international implications.

This study examined the labor regulations regarding the hours of work and rest for representative fishing countries (Norway) by the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention C188—Work in Fishing, 2007. A dual comparative analysis with Norway is used to explore policy implications for the representation and protection of fishers’ labor standards in Korea. This study examined the possibility of synchronisation between national and international legislation on the hours of work and rest for fishers, with a particular focus on the Norwegian case. The objective is to identify policy enhancements related to the Korean Seafarers Act. This study looked in depth at the fatigue and well-being problems faced by Korean fishers working long times on various vessels. It is based on the results of a qualitative comparative study. To achieve the objectives, We proposed to ‘the name of the fishing vessel’, which are excluded from the protections afforded by the Seafarers Act and to clarify the regulations regarding the labor standards for them. This proposal will provide compensation and protection for Korean fishers’ labor rights. It aims to enhance labor conditions in line with ILO standards, harmonize national and international agreements to protect small-scale fisheries and contribute to the development of environmentally friendly propulsion technologies, such as hydrogen-fueled electric hybrids and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).

This study investigated changes in lifestyles and psychological anxiety among Koreans during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic using the 2020 data from the nationwide Korean Community Health Survey. The study outcomes were psychological anxiety about the infection and death, due to COVID-19. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the relationship between psychological anxiety and lifestyle changes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people who practiced healthy behaviors and followed social distancing and quarantine regulations experienced increased psychological anxiety for infection and death. Daily life changes during the COVID-19 pandemic were not associated with psychological anxiety. The result of this study can provide baseline measures for further study on psychological anxiety during re-infection of COVID-19 and future pandemics in Korea.

This research was conducted with the aim of developing indexes for diagnosis of balanced personnel levels in Korean Public Offices through Analytic Hierachy Process (AHP). The research found that 62.3% of ‘structural improvement’ and 37.7% of ‘inclusive organizational culture’ were weighted in large classification items. In the middle classification items, it was found weights of 27.5% for ‘gender equality’, 23.5% for ‘disabled’, 16.2% for ‘science and engineering’, 17.7% for ‘regional talent’, and 15.2% for ‘social integrated type’. In the small classification items, 9.4% of ‘employment rate of social integrated talent’, 5.3% of ‘the percentage of grade 7 and 9 selection of regional talent’ and 5% of ‘the percentage of women at the head of a department level’ were shown as important evaluation indicators. In addition, the ‘inclusive organizational culture’ was derived by allocating weights of 9.45% each for four areas: fairness, disclosure, cooperation and support. As above, this research constructs items of the balanced personnel index through prior research and designs detailed indexes. However, it is meaningful that surveys and others have confirmed the usefulness of the balanced personnel index, which will contribute to the achievement of balanced personnel objectives in public offices.