Master's Thesis an Analysis of South Korea's Response to COVID-19
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Master’s Thesis Development Studies An Analysis of South Korea’s Response to COVID-19 The Changing Dynamics of Urban Space with a Focus on Older People Sungkyung Kang Supervisor: James Gordon Rice June 2021 An Analysis of South Korea’s Response to COVID-19 The Changing Dynamics of Urban Space with a Focus on Older People Sungkyung Kang Final thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of a MA degree in Development Studies Supervisor: James Gordon Rice 30 ECTS Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics School of Social Sciences, University of Iceland June 2021 An Analysis of South Korea’s Response to COVID-19: The Changing Dynamics of Urban Space with a Focus on Older People This final thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of a MA degree in Development Studies. The thesis may not be copied in any form without the author’s permission. © Sungkyung Kang, 2021 Reykjavik, Iceland, 2021 Útdráttur Undanfarið ár hafa viðkvæmir hópar, einkum aldraðir, staðið frammi fyrir mörgum erfiðum áskorunum vegna heimsfaraldursins COVID-19. Í Suður-Kóreu hefur COVID-19 haft mikil áhrif á þróun samfélagsgerðar. Fólk eldra en 65 ára er stór hluti þjóðarinnar og mun fjölga verulega í þeim aldurshópi á næstu áratugum. Jafnframt hefur orðið hröð þéttbýlismyndun í Suður-Kóreu. COVID-19 faraldurinn hefur haft mikil áhrif á lífsstíl eldra fólks sem býr í þéttbýli. COVID-19 og takmarkanir á ferðalögum hafa haft neikvæð áhrif á félagsleg samskipti, tengslanet og aðgang að nauðsynlegri umönnunarþjónustu. Viðtöl við umönnunaraðila leiða í ljós þarfir eldra fólks og áhrif sem aðgerðir vegna heimsfaraldurs hafa á líðan þeirra. Fjöldi skjala, tilkynninga, greina og myndskeiða (frá ríkisstofnunum og dagblöðum) og gögnum frá samfélagsmiðlum (Facebook og YouTube) á netinu, voru skoðuð til að greina orðræður sem tengjast eldra fólki í sambandi við COVID- 19. Að lokum fjallar þessi ritgerð um þann lærdóm sem Suður-Kórea dregur af reynslu sinni á heimsfaraldri og afleiðingar þess að hanna ný þéttbýlisrými sem svara til þarfa aldraðra og gætu gagnast framtíðaraðgerðum vegna farsótta. Lykilorð: COVID-19, faraldsfræðilegar aðgerðir, aldraðir, Suður-Kórea, þéttbýli i Abstract Over the past year, vulnerable populations – especially older people – have struggled in the face of many challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This thesis looks at the situation in South Korea. COVID-19 has played out against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving society where older people form a significant proportion of the population. Based on a review of the literature and some interviews carried out with professionals working closely with older people, this thesis examines how the lives of older people have changed. Drawing on anthropological theories, it is argued that older people living in a densely populated urban space have faced enormous changes to their lifestyles during the pandemic. South Korea has gone through a dynamic social transition and a process of rapid urbanisation. COVID-19 and associated government-led restrictions on movement, have had a negative impact on social interaction, networking and access to essential care services. Older people can be further excluded and marginalised in a society that is increasingly dependent on and managed through digital space. A range of materials, harvested from Facebook and YouTube and government statements were analysed using discourse analysis in order to explore how the public of different generations and the government view older people. In conclusion, there are some lessons afforded by the South Korean pandemic experience and the implications for designing new urban spaces that are responsive to the needs of older people and which might provide a template for responding to future epidemics or emergencies. Keywords: COVID-19, epidemic’s measures, older people, South Korea, urban space ii Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor James Gordon Rice for helping me interpret my interest in urban anthropology to a current social phenomenon. Learning and exploring a journey of urban anthropology was a precious moment to expand new insights to understand a variety of cultural and social factors and pay attention to vulnerable populations. This master’s thesis was funded as a part of the Rannís project. I appreciate the Mobilities and Transnational Iceland to give me an opportunity for the fund. I also would like to thank Rose Barbour who committed to proofreading and had helpful discussions with me, as I completed this work. I express thanks to Eva María who helped abstract in Icelandic. This thesis was also completed with continuous encouragement from those taking part in interviews, my parents Aekyung and Seokki, my sister Chanmi, my partner Alasdair, and his parents who supported my work in a new home. iii Table of Contents Útdráttur ...................................................................................................................... i Abstract ...................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... iii List of Tables .............................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ............................................................................................................ vii List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................. viii 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Research Design ................................................................................................ 6 1.1.1 Research Questions .................................................................................... 7 1.1.2 Research Methods ..................................................................................... 8 1.1.2.1 Interviews ............................................................................................ 11 1.1.2.2 Discourse Analysis ................................................................................ 12 1.1.2.3 Content Analysis .................................................................................. 12 1.1.3 Thesis Structure ....................................................................................... 12 2 The South Korean Context for COVID-19 Responses .............................................. 13 2.1 Measures Relating to Older People in an Aged Society .................................. 23 2.1.1 South Korea: An Aged Society Moving to a Super-aged Society .............. 23 2.1.1.1 ‘Dynamic Korea’ to ‘Dying Korea’ ........................................................ 32 2.1.2 Seoul as an Urban Space for Older Adults ................................................ 33 2.2 Cultural Narratives about Older People .......................................................... 36 2.2.1 Generational Divisions in South Korea ..................................................... 39 3 Urban Space and the Lived Environment ............................................................... 41 3.1 Urban Space in Anthropology ......................................................................... 42 3.2 An Ageing, Aged and Super-aged Society ....................................................... 46 3.3 Impacts of Epidemics Measures on Older People in Urban Spaces ................ 49 3.3.1 An Online Panopticon .............................................................................. 52 3.3.2 Digital Urban Space for Older Adults ....................................................... 55 3.3.3 Digital Images of Older Adults .................................................................. 59 4 Perspectives of Aged-care Practitioners with Regard to Older People and the Pandemic .................................................................................................................. 62 4.1 A Vulnerable Population and Essential Workers ............................................. 64 4.1.1 Vulnerability of Older Adults .................................................................... 64 4.1.1.1 Fear of Infection ................................................................................... 65 4.1.1.2 Older Adults Who Expect to Be Protected ........................................... 66 4.1.1.3 Increased Difficulties Due to Lower Income ........................................ 67 iv 4.1.1.4 Increased Difficulties Due to Disabilities or Dementia ........................ 69 4.1.1.5 Worries of Family Members about Older Adults Coming to Facilities . 71 4.1.2 Depression in Older Adults Living Alone and Staying at Care Facilities ... 73 4.1.2.1 Solutions of Depression: Mental Health Care Service Provided by the Government ......................................................................................... 74 4.1.3 Recognition and Adaptation of Older Adults ........................................... 75 4.1.3.1 Thoughts of Younger Generations ....................................................... 77 4.1.3.2 Political Perspectives of Older Adults Towards the Government ........ 77 4.1.4 New Changes in Older Adults’ Lives: Technological Culture .................... 78 4.2 How the Environment in Which Professionals Working with Older People Has Changed ............................................................................................................