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Background When to perform echocardiography to rule out infective endocarditis (IE) in patients with viridans group streptococci (VGS) bloodstream infections (BSIs) is unclear. Objectives We aimed to identify independent risk factors for IE in patients with VGS BSI. Methods This retrospective study conducted at Seoul National University Hospital from January 2013 to December 2022 involved patients with VGS and nutritionally variant streptococcal BSI, excluding single positive blood cultures and polymicrobial BSI cases. Independent risk factors were identified by multivariate logistic regression and sensitivity analyses according to echocardiography results, VGS species or the inclusion of possible IE cases. Results Of 845 VGS BSI cases, 349 were analysed and 86 IE cases were identified (24.6%). In the multivariate analysis, heart valve disease [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 14.14, 95% CI, 6.14–32.58; P  < 0.001], persistent bacteraemia (aOR, 5.12, 95% CI, 2.03–12.94; P  = 0.001), age (per year, aOR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96–1.00; P =  0.015), solid cancer (aOR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.13–0.53; P <  0.001) and haematologic malignancy (aOR, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01–0.41; P =  0.006) were independently associated with IE. Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent results; also, infection by a member of the mitis group was independent risk factor for IE (aOR, 6.50; 95% CI, 2.87–14.68; P  < 0.001). Conclusions Younger age, heart valve disease, persistent bacteraemia, absence of underlying malignancy and BSI by a member of the mitis group were independent risk factors for IE in patients with VGS BSI. Echocardiographic evaluation could be prudently considered based on these clinicomicrobiological risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban vitality is a core feature of sustainable cities and neighborhoods. Acknowledging the significant role of the spatial and physical attributes of built urban landscapes in influencing urban vitality, scholars and planners in the field of urban studies have meticulously examined the relationship between urban morphology and variations in urban vitality. While most previous studies have primarily focused on a narrow range of factors when analyzing urban form, often neglecting its multifaceted nature, this study utilizes urban morphometrics using Python's Momepy library to offer a comprehensive typology. It integrates diverse urban components from individual buildings and streets to entire neighborhoods into a unified, holistic framework, providing a more integrated understanding of urban form's influence on urban vitality. Our spatial econometric models identified higher building floor areas, taller and narrower streetside buildings, diversely aged buildings, and higher building coverings on lots as favorable urban form settings for urban vitality. Measuring urban morphology with advanced methods and identifying their relationship to urban vitality provides insightful implications for urban planners and designers for creating vibrant cities and neighborhoods. Practical Applications: This study utilizes advanced methods to assess the design and layout of cities and neighborhoods and analyzes their effects on urban vitality. The Momepy Python package is used in this study to capture urban form in terms of size, density, layout, diversity, and connectedness. This study measures how diverse urban morphologies affect the variation of urban vitality captured by mobile phone data. This study introduces an integrated approach that identifies spatial relationships between buildings and street networks into a comprehensive framework. This holistic approach can suggest effective strategies for decision-making by urban planners and policymakers to create livable and sustainable cities and neighborhoods. Moreover, this study reveals how the effects of the urban morphology on urban vitality vary depending on the time of day and day of the week. The core findings suggest that urban planners and designers should consider spatial configurations of buildings and streets as well as residents' behavior over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identifies factors that drive the changes in CO2 emissions from personal travel in urban areas during 2006 and 2016 using repeated cross-sectional household travel surveys conducted in Seoul, Korea. We first estimated the daily travel CO2 emissions of every survey participant for each year based on travel itinerary records and estimated CO2 intensity for the travel mode. The results suggest that total CO2 emissions from personal travel in Seoul declined remarkably between 2006 and 2016, potentially due to reduced vehicle use, transition to non-motorized travel, improved vehicle technology, and eased traffic conditions. Two multilevel mixed-effect Tobit regression models were developed to identify the factors affecting CO2 emissions from personal travel for each year. The results suggest that some cohorts (e.g. males, 30s and 40s, small households, high-income groups, car owners) are likely to produce more CO2 emissions from personal travel consistently in 2006 and 2016. The changes in the estimated coefficients between the two years were also evaluated statistically, suggesting that some population groups (e.g. elderly, large households) are likely to reduce CO2 emissions from personal travel. The reduction in CO2 emissions by these groups may be correlated with continued investment in the public transportation system in Seoul. These findings provide an opportunity to gain a clear understanding of travel behavioral changes related to CO2 emissions from personal travel, with insights toward sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the potential of religious facilities to enhance urban tourism by evaluating urban traditional temples as cultural tourism resources and identifying key tourism indicators. An evaluation framework was developed, encompassing five attributes—historicity, accessibility, inter-connectivity, convenience, and publicity—each with three sub-factors. The research question focuses on what factors distinguish successful urban traditional temples like Bongeunsa and Jogyesa from others. Seven traditional temples in Seoul were selected for comparison. Bongeunsa and Jogyesa, functioning as major tourist attractions, were compared with five other temples with potential but fewer visitors. The findings indicate that Bongeunsa and Jogyesa scored higher for all of the attraction attributes and the majority of the sub-factors. Differences in the correlation between each factor and visitor numbers were also observed. The research methodology included literature reviews, deriving cultural tourism attributes, and evaluating selected temples. This approach highlights underdeveloped factors in other urban temples and suggests strategies for enhancement, providing valuable insights for urban tourism policy and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the historical context and evolution of evacuation area policies in Tokyo and Seoul, established during the Japanese colonial era, and examines their post-liberation utilization. While both cities aimed to protect against bombing by establishing evacuation areas, they differed significantly in establishment, layout, and location due to varying urban structures. Tokyo’s air defense zones encircled the outskirts, with evacuation zones situated along main roads, while Gyeongseong focused on core zones. Post-liberation, Japan swiftly converted evacuation areas into roads and green spaces, whereas Seoul’s plans were hindered by the Korean War. Discussions about converting evacuation area began in 1959 and eventually focused on roads rather than parks.

Public transportation systems play a vital role in modern cities, enhancing the quality of life and fostering sustainable economic growth. Modeling and understanding the complexities of these transportation networks are crucial for effective urban planning and management. Traditional models often fall short in capturing the intricate interactions and interdependencies in multimodal public transportation systems. To address this challenge, recent research has embraced multilayer network models, offering a more sophisticated representation of these networks. However, there is a need to explore and develop robustness analysis techniques tailored to these general multilayer networks to fully assess their complexities in real-world scenarios. In this paper, we employ a general multilayer network model to comprehensively analyze a real-world multimodal transportation network in Seoul, South Korea. We leverage a large volume of traffic data to model, visualize, and evaluate the city's mobility patterns. Additionally, we introduce two novel methodologies for robustness analysis, one based on random walk coverage and the other on eigenvalue, specifically designed for general multilayer networks. Extensive experiments using the large volume of real-world data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The horse holds a special place in Korean culture and history. This paper explores how this animal is manifested in Seoul, aiming to reveal the interests and agendas that these manifestations serve, and what this nonhuman presence can tell about contemporary Seoul and South Korea. The paper adds a new perspective to the literature on Seoul’s development and identity formation. It also provides a case study on the interaction between humans and nonhuman-animals. Lastly, it intervenes into cultural landscape theory by offering the concept of ‘collaged cultural landscape’. It is argued that, the multilayered presence of the horse in Seoul represents South Korean aspirations for economic success, positive branding, and post-colonial strength, confidence, and legitimacy, by conveying a wide range of images, including beauty, cuteness, vigor, and valor. Furthermore, there is no other animal in Seoul, and perhaps in all of South Korea, that matches the horse’s complex presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the medical activities conducted by major hospitals in downtown Seoul during the April Revolution in 1960, examining their experiential context and significance. The influx of guns and bullets into Korean society following the liberation in 1945 intertwined with the political and social conflicts of the period, resulting in numerous assassinations, crimes, and terrorism. Gunshot wounds were traumas that became a part of the everyday life of Koreans, as well as scars which reflected their historical contexts. At the same time, the frequent occurrence of gunshot wounds led to the development of medical capacities to treat them. The Korean surgical academia expanded its technical foundation with experiences during and after the Korean War. This progress was particularly noticeable in areas closely related to gunshot wounds, such as craniotomy, thoracotomy, vascular anastomosis, debridement, anesthesia, and blood transfusion. Major hospitals in downtown Seoul served as medical spaces where these experimental and technical foundations were concentrated, allowing them to minimize the death toll despite the massive gunfire by the National Police in April 1960. Thus, the aftermath of the epidemic of gunshots resulted in a rather paradoxical outcome.This development became a resource for doctors and nurses, who added their revolutionary implications in reconstructing the experience of April 1960 in their various memoirs and reports. While memoirs reorganized general medical activities, portraying injured patients as participants in the revolution, reports provided forensic descriptions and interpretations of the deaths, giving authority to the main narrative of the revolution. As the interpretations and significance based on historical contexts gained prominence, major hospitals in downtown Seoul also developed a sense of place closely associated with the revolution.

Abstract Plastic pollution is becoming a significant problem in urban areas due to excessive use and careless disposal. While studies on microplastics are increasingly being conducted across various environments, research on microplastics in soil is limited compared to other areas. Microplastics entering the soil through various routes can stay there for a long period of time, threatening soil organisms and eventually humans. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the distribution characteristics of microplastics according to types of land use. For this purpose, a total of 54 soil samples were collected from agricultural land, residential areas, roadsides, parks, and forests. The analysis of microplastics in the soil by stereo microscopy showed that the average numbers of microplastics (particles/kg) in agricultural land, residential areas, roadsides, parks, and forests were 5047, 3646, 4987, 2673, and 1097, respectively. Various colors (black, red, green, blue, yellow, white, and transparent) and shapes (fragment, fiber, film, and sphere) of microplastics were found in soils. The combination of black x fragment plastics showed the highest frequency. Microplastics in soil samples from agricultural land, roadside, and residential areas with sizes between 20 µm and 500 µm were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) and analyzed by MP finder. The number of microplastics detected in the soil with sizes ranging between 20 µm and 500 µm was in the order of roadside > residential areas > agricultural land, which was different from the results by stereomicroscopy. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were detected in soils from roadsides. Polyurethane (PU), cellulose acetate (CA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), PP, and polystyrene (PS) were detected in soils from residential areas, with PU being the most frequently detected.

Liberated on August 15, 1945, Seoul was reorganized as the "capital" of the nation-state instead of a "colonial dual city." Public spaces and buildings in Gyeongseong that were built under Imperial Japan's assimilation policy were dismantled. During the national construction period, national monuments were built, and spaces for national ceremonies were established. Seoul was reshuffled into an ideological space based on the anti-communist ideology of U.S. military rule, the blockade of the 38th Parallel, and the establishment of respective governments of the two Koreas. With the formation of the global Cold War order, the aim was to unify Seoul's spatial power and compete for an inter-Korean regime. Seoul established a spatial order for right-wing nationalism through the U.S. military government and the Rhee Syng-man regime, as confirmed in the Korean literature's spatial representation during the liberation period. However, the literature of Yi Gwang-su and Yeom Sang-seop showed that Seoul functioned as a cultural contact zone during the liberation period through the spatial practice of diverse and heterogeneous subjects who did not move according to the spatial order of such right-wing nationalism. This confirms Seoul's multi-layered spatiality, where cultures, such as modern and pre-modern, Western and Eastern, empires and colonies, and leftists and rightists, are mixed and overlapped. Its spatial representation as a cultural contact zone created a rift in its spatial order, reorganized it as the capital of a nation-state and activated the literary imagination for producing diverse and heterogeneous social spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic pollution is becoming a significant problem in urban areas due to excessive use and careless disposal. While studies on microplastics are increasingly being conducted across various environments, research on microplastics in soil is limited compared to other areas. Microplastics entering the soil through various routes can stay there for a long period of time, threatening soil organisms and eventually humans. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the distribution characteristics of microplastics according to types of land use. For this purpose, a total of 54 soil samples were collected from agricultural land, residential areas, roadsides, parks, and forests. The analysis of microplastics in the soil by stereo microscopy showed that the average numbers of microplastics (particles/kg) in agricultural land, residential areas, roadsides, parks, and forests were 5047, 3646, 4987, 2673, and 1097, respectively. Various colors (black, red, green, blue, yellow, white, and transparent) and shapes (fragment, fiber, film, and sphere) of microplastics were found in soils. The combination of black x fragment plastics showed the highest frequency. Microplastics in soil samples from agricultural land, roadside, and residential areas with sizes between 20 µm and 500 µm were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) and analyzed by MP finder. The number of microplastics detected in the soil with sizes ranging between 20 µm and 500 µm was in the order of roadside > residential areas > agricultural land, which was different from the results by stereomicroscopy. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were detected in soils from roadsides. Polyurethane (PU), cellulose acetate (CA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), PP, and polystyrene (PS) were detected in soils from residential areas, with PU being the most frequently detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon- and nitrogen-containing aerosols are ubiquitous in urban atmospheres and play important roles in air quality and climate change. We determined the 14C fraction modern (fM) and δ13C of total carbon (TC) and δ15N of NH4+ in the PM2.5 collected in Seoul megacity during April 2018 to December 2019. The seasonal mean δ13C values were similar to -25.1‰ ± 2.0‰ in warm and -24.2‰ ± 0.82‰ in cold seasons. Mean δ15N values were higher in warm (16.4‰ ± 2.8‰) than in cold seasons (4.0‰ ± 6.1‰), highlighting the temperature effects on atmospheric NH3 levels and phase-equilibrium isotopic exchange during the conversion of NH3 to NH4+. While 37% ± 10% of TC was apportioned to fossil-fuel sources on the basis of fM values, δ15N indicated a higher contribution of emissions from vehicle exhausts and electricity generating units (power-plant NH3 slip) to NH3: 60% ± 26% in warm season and 66% ± 22% in cold season, based on a Bayesian isotope-mixing model. The collective evidence of multiple isotope analysis reasonably supports the major contribution of fossil-fuel-combustion sources to NH4+, in conjunction with TC, and an increased contribution from vehicle emissions during the severe PM2.5 pollution episodes. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of a multiple-isotope approach in providing better insight into the major sources of PM2.5 in the urban atmosphere.

This article explores the relationship between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with Japan and South Korea. NATO's presence has generally been limited to Europe and the North Atlantic but has remained constant since the conflicts in Iraq and Syria (2001-current), however due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine (2022), the Organization after more than twenty-five years has again a conflict near its members. In this sense, given the size of Russia, the perception of threat has not only been limited to Europe, since in Asia, Russia's invasion has raised alarm in China's neighbours, particularly South Korea and Japan, since the success of Russia could increase China's assertiveness. NATO did not consider China a concern until 2022, (Domínguez, 2023) so the role of Tokyo and Seoul as diplomatic and military allies is very important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluated the geographical distribution, chronological and economic patterns of the commercial cinema industry in Seoul, Korea dichotomized by the two main types of cinemas that have been prevalent in the recent Korean history, the first-run cinemas and the double-feature cinemas. This analysis involved computational technologies including the R statistical programing language and the interactive map library known as Leaflet for R in order to scrutinize the aforementioned patterns. Historically the cinema industry has been under the tight control of authoritarian military dictatorships that have run Korea in past decades, and the measures they took to control the cinema industry leading to unexpected ramifications. One of them is the decrease in the quality of domestic films, as competition with international films was reduced, and another is the massive increase in the domestic production of low-quality sex-exploitation B-tier films. The double feature cinemas played a big role in the distribution of the low-quality films. Our electronic maps will clearly represent the hierarchy and differentiation of these cinemas in the cinematic landscape of Seoul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising temperatures and heightened air pollution are widespread across many parts of the world today. Despite some initial attempts for analysis, the intricate interconnection between the two still requires further investigation. This study focuses on Seoul, South Korea, by adopting vector-autoregressive-based Granger causality tests to unravel the nuances of these relationships at the district level. While bidirectional Granger causality links between temperature and urban heat island intensity, as well as between PM10 concentration and urban pollution island intensity, are found in many cases, our findings reveal diverse causal relationships that are evident in the districts. These findings underscore the necessity for evidence-based strategies to guide planners and policymakers in addressing the challenges of rising temperatures and air pollution in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of the heavy rainfall events that occurred in Seoul in 2022 and compared them with the projections of the representative concentration pathway (RCP). The analysis results indicated that climate change is ongoing. In this era of climate crisis, based on the shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) data, we projected the 20-year frequency rainfall for South Korea at intervals of 1 day/24 h. Our results indicate that the maximum rainfall (with a 24 h duration) will increase by ~18% in the second half of the 21st century, compared to the current maximum rainfall. Finally, we projected the intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) curve for the infrastructure design of Seoul. According to the projected IDF curve, across all durations, the rainfall intensity was the strongest in the early 21st century, indicating that at present, we are in the midst of a climate crisis. Thus, it is important to develop and implement effective urban and river flood management measures to mitigate the current effects of climate change. Notably, our study can serve as a reference for future studies on climate change and help policymakers and decision-makers develop relevant policies and mitigation strategies related to the effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although several previous studies have examined factors influencing crime at a specific point in time, limited research has assessed how factors influencing crime change in response to social disasters such as COVID-19. This study examines factors, along with their relative importance and trends over time, and their influence on 112 commercial crime reports (illegal street vendors, dining and dashing, minor quarrels, theft, drunkenness, assault, vagrancy and disturbing the peace) in Seoul's alley commercial districts between 2019 and 2021. Variables that may affect the number of commercial crime reports are classified into four characteristics (socioeconomic, neighborhood, park/greenery and commercial district attributes), explored using machine learning regression-based modeling and analyzed through the use of Shapley Additive exPlanations to determine the importance of each factor on crime reports. The Partial Dependence Plot is used to understand linear/non-linear relationships between key independent variables and crime reports. Among several machine learning models, the Extra Trees Regressor, which has the highest performance, is selected for the analysis. The results show a mixture of linear and non-linear relationships with the increasing crime rates, finding that store density, dawn sales ratio, the number of gathering facilities, perceived urban decline score, green view index and land appraisal value may play a crucial role in the number of commercial crimes reported, regardless of social trends. The findings of this study may be used as a basis for building a safe commercial district that can respond resiliently to social disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has found that the wintertime (November–March) air quality in Seoul, Korea had been deteriorated in weekends during the period of 2016–2019. Specifically, the concentration of particulate matters (PMs) of aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) in weekends (Saturday–Sunday) was up to 30% higher than that in the mid-week (Wednesday–Thursday) days (probability value < 0.01). As the weekend PM concentration had been lower than the mid-week values by 10% until 2015, such a sudden change in the intra-weekly air quality is unexpected. This study finds out that the deterioration of air quality in weekends can be attributed primarily to secondary particle formations and external transports from China (Shandong and northeast provinces) and domestic provinces (southern Gyeonggi and Chungcheong in Korea) to Seoul. High concentration of PM2.5 on weekend could be partially explained by the differences in the concentrations of inorganic PM components including nitrate, ammonium, and sulfate between weekends and mid-week days. About 40% of the differences are attributed to the domestic sources located in the southern region to Seoul. However, domestic emission from power generations and industry sector in southern source region on weekends does not well explain the variations of the PM precursors in weekends. Therefore, a clear strategy for improving air quality on the weekend in Seoul requires steady efforts to accurately calculate regional emissions and to reveal missing emissions sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social housing in Seoul has been provided since 2015 via collaboration between the city and the private sector to address the increasing housing burden for single-person households and the younger generation. Despite the eight years since the implementation of this initiative, there remains a lack of research regarding the satisfaction of residents with respect to indoor social housing environments. The aim of this study is two-fold: (1) to explore household characteristics, such as floor area and living room, bathroom, and kitchen issues; and (2) to examine the factors that affect indoor residential environment satisfaction. In May and June of 2022, 57 households from 22 social housing projects participated in the survey, and data were analyzed using frequency and descriptive methods. The results indicated that the interior layout of the house affected and influenced residential satisfaction. This was followed by accessibility to major facilities, interactions with the community, accessibility to transportation, and facility maintenance. The implications of these findings were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wider context of the Cold War in the 1980s, a rare exception was a proposal for the potential co-hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics between Seoul (South Korea) and Pyongyang (North Korea). While diplomatic exchanges between the two countries in other areas had produced inconclusive results, a series of joint meetings were organised by the International Olympic Committee to facilitate North Korean participation in the Games while preventing any action that might undermine the Games' organisation. This historical analysis of these tripartite meetings aims to reconsider the frequently essentialist position of North Korea as a 'Games saboteur'. While the talks ultimately proved to be a failure, they did have an effect on sports diplomacy. The threat of a massive boycott by the socialist countries, which did not occur in the end, and the progress of the negotiations show that there can be compromises to the host city principle enshrined in the IOC Olympic Charter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolutionary fitness payoffs of moral condemnation are greatest within an individual's immediate social milieu. Accordingly, insofar as human moral intuitions have been shaped by adaptive design, we can expect transgressive harms to be perceived as more wrong when transpiring in the here and now than when occurring at a distance, or with the approval of local authority figures. This moral parochialism hypothesis has been supported by research conducted in diverse societies, but has yet to be tested in an East Asian society, despite prior research indicating that East Asians appraise transgressive acts as being caused by situational and contextual factors to a greater extent than do Westerners, who tend to emphasize dispositional factors (i.e., the transgressor's personal nature). Here, in a quasi-experiment using field samples recruited in Seoul and Los Angeles, we tested (i) the moral parochialism hypothesis regarding the perceived wrongness of transgressions, as well as (ii) the extent to which these wrongness judgments might be influenced by cross-cultural differences in causal appraisals. Despite notably large differences across the two societies in situational versus dispositional appraisals of the causes of the transgressions, replicating previous findings elsewhere, in both societies we found that transgressions were deemed less wrong when occurring at spatial or temporal remove or with the consent of authorities. These findings add to the understanding of morality as universally focused on local affairs, notwithstanding cultural variation in perceptions of the situational versus dispositional causes of (im)moral acts.

More than half of the population of Seoul lives today in mass housing estates due to the housing policies initiated by the South Korean developmental regime. This paper aims to assert the degree of typomorphological innovation introduced by the large-scale construction of mass housing in the capital during the second half of the twentieth century to situate their contribution to modern housing. Twelve case studies have been redrawn according to eight morphological categories and compared through a timeline. The study period is structured in four phases to contextualize the cases with the socio-political background and broader housing architecture and planning developments. Stephen V. Ward's typology of diffusion of modern planning concepts has been adopted as a conceptual framework to evaluate the degree of innovation. The research shows how site planning strategies based on parallel rows of housing blocks were consolidated as the most common morphology in the 1970s under the leadership of the public housing authority. A brief but intense period of innovation followed during the 1980s featuring clusters catering to community-building agendas. Nonetheless, the shift towards the private sector at the end of the decade curtailed housing innovation, and original solutions developed earlier were standardized by the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seoul is the first city in South Korea to provide affordable social housing, beginning in 2015. Despite the importance of studying its space, configuration, and functionality, which impact the residents' quality of life, research on social housing in Seoul is sparse. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to analyze the spatial layout and utilization of social housing and (2) to compare it to the layout and utilization of public rental housing provided by Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH). A total of 120 units from 30 social housing projects open to the public in Seoul were selected. This study found that social housing in Seoul primarily consists of compact housing units targeting young adults and newlywed couples, with a high proportion of diverse spatial configurations. In South Korea, while the SH specialized floor plan is commonly used as a standardized prototype in contemporary apartments, the floor plans for social housing exhibit a broader range of shapes and spatial configurations. Distinct criteria are employed for space separation in designing social housing. Separating bedrooms or kitchens may be the priority depending on the specific housing unit, resulting in multiple layouts. The results suggest that ongoing research could contribute to exploring improved approaches for region-specific social housing design and enhancing residential environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates a South Korean land value capture experience in peri-urban development. With the growing demand for urban land, rent gaps grew. A South Korean public development scheme, the Housing Site Development Promotion Act (HSDPA), enabled a public development agency to financialize and recoup the rent gaps by allowing for land acquisition at agricultural value. Hence, these peri-urban projects were self-funded in providing infrastructure at "no cost" to the government. A case study – of Yongin-Jukjeon on the periphery of Seoul – reveals that the rent gap between pre-development and post-development was over fivefold, and the public development agency achieved an internal rate of return of 262 per cent after paying for decent-quality infrastructure facilities by the national standard. Despite the size of this return, the rent gap was also shared among and reallocated to other key actors including original landowners, construction companies and end-users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since December 30, 2017, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea, has been implementing emergency reduction measures (ERMs) restricting the operation of industrial sites, thermal power plants, and vehicles when air quality is expected to deteriorate. ERMs are implemented when the present observed concentration of particulate matter (PM) of aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and/or the predicted values for the following day exceed a threshold value. In this study, the effectiveness of ERMs was evaluated for 33 days with and 6 days without ERM implementation but where the PM2.5 concentration exceeded the threshold value, until March 15, 2021. Of the 33 days of ERM implementation, on 7 days it was executed despite the thresholds not being met. The ERM on these days might have been properly executed because the pre-notice and implementation of ERM might have reduced the local emissions of air pollutants. Our major findings are that even on days of ERM implementation, there were marginal reductions in vehicle traffic, thermal power generation, and industrial emissions. Second, the concentrations of PM2.5 and related air pollutants in Seoul were almost unchanged for most ERM implementation episodes. Third, most of the 39 (= 33 + 6) days when the air quality worsened were caused by the transboundary transport of air pollutants from China. In conclusion, it was revealed that the currently executed ERM law is insufficient for effectively reducing PM2.5. To achieve the required reductions, it is necessary to undertake stricter policies in Seoul and its neighboring regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate some toxic levels of nail cosmetics marketed in Seoul, Korea and health risk assessment on humans. We collected 45 random nail cosmetics and analysed for lead, cadmium, arsenic and antimony by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Four metals concentrations were Pb 0.037 ± 0.083 (−6 which was lower than the permissible limit and nail cosmetics may not possess lifetime cancer risk. Our results suggested that metals were present in nail cosmetics at diverse concentrations and some nail cosmetics appeared to pose a harmful impact on health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the impact of planting strategies on improving thermal comfort in relation to the existing buildings within real high-rise residential complexes. Using numerical simulation via ENVI-met, we compare six planting scenarios characterized by two locational schemes—open-space planting and building-vicinity planting—and three tree quantities. The results highlight the importance of planting greater numbers of trees, and also of their locations, to moderate the thermal environment. The findings of the study demonstrated that increasing the number of trees in the open space by threefold of the advisory guidelines led to a significant reduction in the average air temperature by 0.87 °C, mean radiant temperature (MRT) by 11.00 °C, physiological equivalent temperature (PET) by 4.50 °C, and wind speed by 0.30 m/s. Planting the minimum number of trees under building-vicinity reduced air temperature by 0.07 °C, MRT by 2.48 °C, and PET by 0.92 °C, while showing a slight increase in wind speed of approximately 0.01 m/s. To achieve improvements in both thermal condition and air flow, we suggest planting rows of trees parallel to the prevailing wind direction in the ventilation corridors at some distance from buildings, to minimize overlap of shade from trees and from buildings. The findings of this study will provide useful guidelines for effective planting design in dense residential areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the relationship between urban accessibility of museums in the urban spaces of Tokyo and Seoul within limited travel distances. Similarities and differences were identified in the museum accessibility between the two cities. The urban accessibility of museums was set as the dependent variable, calculated via space syntax. For the spatial accessibility of museums, five walking ranges (1000–2000 m) were set as independent variables, with a distance of 250 m as the basic unit. Data normality and independence of the derived data were checked, and polynomial curve fitting was performed to interpret the accessibility of museums in each city. A comparative analysis was conducted on museum accessibility. The results show areas with a high concentration of museums in Tokyo and Seoul partially deviated from the center of the urban hierarchy. The urban and spatial accessibilities of museums in both cities quantitatively correlated with limited travel distances. Museum visitors in Tokyo were more likely to have relatively free-flowing routes in the city. The museums in Seoul had a lower overall accessibility than those in Tokyo, and travel patterns and routes to these museums were likely to be restricted when located in urban areas and consequently resembled a forced movement pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) field study was conducted during May-June 2016. The effort was jointly sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Research of South Korea and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. KORUS-AQ offered an unprecedented, multi-perspective view of air quality conditions in South Korea by employing observations from three aircraft, an extensive ground-based network, and three ships along with an array of air quality forecast models. Information gathered during the study is contributing to an improved understanding of the factors controlling air quality in South Korea. The study also provided a valuable test bed for future air quality-observing strategies involving geostationary satellite instruments being launched by both countries to examine air quality throughout the day over Asia and North America. This article presents details on the KORUS-AQ observational assets, study execution, data products, and air quality conditions observed during the study. High-level findings from companion papers in this special issue are also summarized and discussed in relation to the factors controlling fine particle and ozone pollution, current emissions and source apportionment, and expectations for the role of satellite observations in the future. Resulting policy recommendations and advice regarding plans going forward are summarized. These results provide an important update to early feedback previously provided in a Rapid Science Synthesis Report produced for South Korean policy makers in 2017 and form the basis for the Final Science Synthesis Report delivered in 2020.

We present trace gas vertical profiles observed by instruments on the NASA DC-8 and at a ground site during the Korea-US air quality study (KORUS) field campaign in May to June 2016. We focus on the region near the Seoul metropolitan area and its surroundings where both anthropogenic and natural emission sources play an important role in local photochemistry. Integrating ground and airborne observations is the major research goal of many atmospheric chemistry field campaigns. Although airborne platforms typically aim to sample from near surface to the free troposphere, it is difficult to fly very close to the surface especially in environments with complex terrain or a populated area. A detailed analysis integrating ground and airborne observations associated with specific concentration footprints indicates that reactive trace gases are quickly oxidized below an altitude of 700 m. The total OH reactivity profile has a rapid decay in the lower part of troposphere from surface to the lowest altitude (700 m) sampled by the NASA DC-8. The decay rate is close to that of very reactive biogenic volatile organic compounds such as monoterpenes. Therefore, we argue that photochemical processes in the bottom of the boundary layer, below the typical altitude of aircraft sampling, should be thoroughly investigated to properly assess ozone and secondary aerosol formation.

Since 2014, Seoul has proposed customized public housing as a means to address the reduced effectiveness of the urban housing supply. The focus of policy has gradually shifted from total housing security to welfare support, and the South Korean government has announced that the model will be replicated nationwide by 2023. The paper aims to summarize the development and characteristics of the artist-tailored public housing through a review of policy developments and cases from 2013 to 2023. The analysis reveals that the model is characterized by a uniform supply by the public sector, starting with the rights of minority groups rather than the needs of society as a whole. It helps improve the housing supply's effectiveness and moderate the vacancy rate in the city and regional economic stagnation. Finally, this paper summarizes the staged development experience of the artist's customized public rental housing system from four aspects: housing market, supply system, regional economy, and residents' spontaneous participation, and discusses the system's role in promoting the sustainable development of the public housing system. It provides suggestions for the current model's promotion and also provides references for the binary opposition relationship between the economic value of art and urban gentrification in other countries.

The role of science and patenting is often viewed as the focus of SMEs in post catch-up conditions, as they seek to pivot from performing low value-added activities to new technological ventures in searching for new niches. SMEs—particularly those in city areas—are incentivized to commit to research that is linked to scientific knowledge and patenting activities. This study is interested to explore whether these SMEs upgrade, file patents and commit to long term upgrading. Their performances are benchmarked to SMEs of San Jose—the largest city in Silicon Valley (the highly cited Marshallian industrial cluster). We have configured an extraction process for bulk patenting data and architected a sorting procedure to derive a list of relevant indexes from patents assigned to the bottom 40 (and 60) percent of the total assignees of a region. We discovered that SMEs in Taipei, Seoul, Singapore, Tel Aviv, Hong Kong and Dublin had indeed upgraded to adopt emerging (science-based) technologies and appropriate them—not only to supply for existing market needs, but also to build their competitive edge for future endeavours. While many cities are found to be relatively ahead in producing technologies that are classified as long cycle and science-based, Taipei saw a rising number of SMEs committed to science amid the majority which invested in non-science technologies. Taipei nonetheless stands out as the city which bears many characteristics of what a Marshallian cluster is like. This study sheds new light on the technological pursuit of SMEs in post catch-up conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the linguistic landscape (LL) of Itaewon, a former American military "camp town" in Seoul, by providing a snapshot of its conflicting portrayals. With the LL serving as a critical index of language-, class-, and ethnicity-related social disparities, this study examines, through the notion of "framing" semiotic resources, (1) the state's and district's positions towards gentrification and multiculturalism in Itaewon and (2) how the underlying social class and ethnic disparities pertaining to gentrification are reflected. The framing of signs raises, at the macro and latent levels, questions regarding hierarchy among languages, classes and ethnic groups, and the coexistence of a binary internationalized population. It turns one's attention towards not only what is seen/foreseen but also what is unseen/ignored. The study presents an informed means of revealing contextualized sociolinguistic voices in an area with a complex and unsettled history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social isolation and mental well-being have been public concerns for South Korea for more than a decade. This has led to the development of happiness legislation and promoting happiness as an explicit city policy. As a result, the Seoul Village Community Project was developed to foster citizen participation and community engagement to promote communal ways of living and reduce social isolation. This paper examines the contemporary driver of Seoul's endeavour to become a happy city and the success and failure in the city's policy actions. The paper also illustrates how citizen participation has resulted in Seoul's urban planning and revitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the eve of Halloween on 29 October 2022, a crowd was killed in a narrow alley of the South Korean capital. Known for its diversity and ethnic communities, Itaewon is a melting pot of cultures and the mediating place to enjoy a new culture, and aptly so, for the celebration of Halloween. The common response to the tragedy was that of mystery and disbelief. However, the real mystery is why none of the local district offices, police, and business associations, who have governed and managed festivals in the area, had prepared safety measures nor anticipated a tragedy of this nature. After the incident, a series of demonstrations have been held by bereaved families and civil societies to demand a thorough investigation, legal punishment of those responsible, and protective advancements. Although relevant authorities have expressed regret publicly, there was neither an official apology nor sincere condolences to the victims and their families. In the case of the Halloween tragedy in Itaewon, the mourning is politicized and delayed as debates on whether public mourning is deserving have started. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Seoul has a high density of air quality monitoring stations (AQMSs) grouped into roadside, urban, and background types. Using the extensive data from 42 AQMSs in the period 2018 to 2021, the statistical characteristics of air pollutants required to calculate the daily air quality index DAQx* (daily maximum 1 h O3 and NO2 means and daily 24 h PM10 and PM2.5 means) are determined, depending on station types and three temporal periods (individual years, winters, and summers). The results for (i) annual cycles, which include peak concentrations of PM10 (up to 517 µg/m3 in May 2021) and PM2.5 (up to 153 µg/m3 in March 2019) owing to transboundary transport, (ii) annual medians, (iii) annual scattering ranges, (iv) partitioning of frequencies into DAQx*-related concentration ranges, and (v) maximum daily variations within individual station types indicate clear statistical air pollutant characteristics depending on the station types. They were primarily caused by different emission and atmospheric exchange conditions in a circular buffer around each AQMS, which are often approximated by urban form variables. The maximum daily variations were highest in the middle NO2 concentration range of the "satisfying" class for the roadside type (between 53% in summer 2019 and 90% in winter 2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) has a population of 24 million and frequently experiences unhealthy levels of ozone (O3). In this work, measurements taken during the Korea-United States Air Quality Study (KORUS-AQ, 2016) are used to explore regional gradients in O3 and its chemical precursors, and an observationally-constrained 0-D photochemical box model is used to quantify key aspects of O3 production including its sensitivity to precursor gases. Box model performance was evaluated by comparing modeled concentrations of select secondary species to airborne measurements. These comparisons indicate that the steady state assumption used in 0-D box models cannot describe select intermediate species, highlighting the importance of having a broad suite of trace gases as model constraints. When fully constrained, aggregated statistics of modeled O3 production rates agreed with observed changes in O3, indicating that the box model was able to represent the majority of O3 chemistry. Comparison of airborne observations between urban Seoul and a downwind receptor site reveal a positive gradient in O3 coinciding with a negative gradient in NOx, no gradient in CH2O, and a slight positive gradient in modeled rates of O3 production. Together, these observations indicate a radical-limited (VOC-limited) O3 production environment in the SMA. Zero-out simulations identified C7+ aromatics as the dominant VOC contributors to O3 production, with isoprene and anthropogenic alkenes making smaller but appreciable contributions. Simulations of model sensitivity to decreases in NOx produced results that were not spatially uniform, with large increases in O3 production predicted for urban Seoul and decreases in O3 production predicted for far-outlying areas. The policy implications of this work are clear: Effective O3 mitigation strategies in the SMA must focus on reducing local emissions of C7+ aromatics, while reductions in NOx emissions may increase O3 in some areas but generally decrease the regional extent of O3 exposure.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is an effective treatment strategy for peripheral artery disease (PAD). Data are limiting regarding sex differences in patients with PAD who underwent PTA. We assessed the sex-related differences on 5-year clinical outcomes in patients with PAD who underwent PTA. We prospectively evaluated 765 patients with PAD (596 males and 169 females) who underwent PTA. We performed propensity score matching (PSM) analysis to adjust for any potential confounders. The primary endpoints were 5-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACE) and major adverse lower-limb events (MALE) assessed by Kaplan-Meier curved analysis and log rank test. After PSM analysis, baseline clinical characteristics were similar in male and female patients. There was a trend toward a higher rate of major hematoma in female patients (6.1% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.066) and a lower rate of below the ankle amputation (24.7% vs. 16.5%, p = 0.097). During the 5-year clinical follow-up, male and female patients had similar rates of MACE (14.9% vs. 15.8%, log rank p = 0.838) and MALE (34.8% vs. 28.2%, log rank p = 0.264) as well as the individual endpoints. In subgroup analysis adjusted by PSM, female patients had a higher risk of bleeding complications in age ≥ 65 years, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and in the non-critical limb ischemia patients. Of patients with preserved renal function, female patients had a higher risk of MALE as compared to males. In conclusion, female patients with PAD who underwent PTA showed similar 5-year MACE and MALE compared with male patients.

The main focus of this article is on the changes that occurred to firebreaks planned in this context of continuity of colonial space after Seoul’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. This study aims primarily to investigate the changes to or the persistence of Seoul’s spatial structures after liberation. Also examined is the process by which the municipal administrative authorities in Seoul separated from the legacy of Seoul’s colonial past through the dismantling of the remnants of the Japanese colonial period. The results of the study should provide a basis for understanding the prestige and magnitude of administrative competence in Seoul immediately after liberation. This article interprets the period through a direct comparison of Korea’s urban space during colonization and after liberation.