For some years now I have worked as a personal assistant in Sweden, a role which involves working for a disabled person to assist with their basic needs, such as breathing, eating, getting dressed, and communicating with others (Sveriges Riksdag). I have primarily worked for people who have 24-hour assistance in their own home, assisting in most everyday activities. The Swedish personal assistant system was established on the principles that disabled people should have access to equality in living conditions, participation in society, independence, and self-determination (Ibid.). In this sense the intent behind the establishment of personal assistance in Sweden has some commonality with the principles behind the system of direct payments in the UK, as both aim towards a user-led system of services (Williams et al. 815-16; Egard 24), although the Swedish system includes the hiring of personal assistants by the person themselves, through the local municipality, a private organisation, or a cooperative (Egard 12).

However, the fact that these systems were established on the principle of independence and self-determination does not in itself guarantee they live up to these values, as inclusive policies do not automatically lead to inclusive practices (Bolt 5-6). Even in a workplace where there is general consensus that autonomous choice is important, this does not necessarily translate into concrete everyday practices (Harnett 219-20). This makes questions surrounding autonomy and user-led services an ever-green topic and a constant area of improvement. Although systematic issues are certainly involved, Williams et al. (816) highlight the relevance of the relationship between a disabled person and their assistants to achieving autonomy in everyday life. In addition to Williams et al, researchers such as Hoole and Morgan, and Meyer et al. have explored how interactions between disabled people and their support workers relate to autonomy and choice. Though informed by this research, my focus lies in how these interactions can be understood through a framework of consent. 

This thesis aims to explore the history of blind diviners in Korea, using a review approach toexamine the existing literature in Korean on the topic. Beginning with a discussion of theorieson the origins and practices of blind diviners during the pre-modern period, and then movinginto the drastic changes that occurred during the Japanese colonial period, the thesis ends withan exploration of how the situation has developed for blind diviners in the modern period. Thethesis utilizes four main sources: Chu (2008, 2020), Pak and Chŏng (2019), and Son (2019).With this exploration of the topic, this thesis aims to amend the lack of available literature inEnglish by exploring the phenomenon of blind diviners, especially the disability aspects oftheir existence, utilizing some of the literature available in Korean.

This thesis aims to explore Christian missionary conceptions of blindness in early 20thcentury Korea. This period of history is characterized by drastic changes to Koreansociety due to an increase in external influences on the peninsula, changes which alsoaffected the social position and perception of blind people. Christian missionariesplayed a central role in the changes to the lives of these blind people, which is why thisthesis aims to highlight missionary conceptions of blindness in Korea. To accomplishthis, some tools from critical discourse analysis are used to examine how blindness isconceptualized within several texts from Protestant missionary publications, using adisability studies framework to analyse the texts. The analysis showcases the religiousimagery and religious conceptions of blindness present in the texts, how these interactwith medical conceptions, and distinctions in the portrayal of blind people between thedifferent texts.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the filmography of Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho [Pong Chun-ho], and to provide a limited textual analysis of each film divided across two categories: the “explicitly ecological” and “implicitly ecological”. The intent is to, by viewing all of Bong’s films leading up to his critical and commercial success Parasite, argue that Parasite is as much an environmental film as it is critical of neoliberalism and globalization, both of which are common readings of not only Parasite, but all of Bong’s work.The findings are that while Parasite avoids overt and exaggerated displays of eco-destruction visible in his Sci-fi films, the film still displays a conscious environmental awareness. The rainstorm featured in the second act of the film can be viewed not only through a local lens as an example of the dichotomy between wealthy and poor families in South Korea as it pertains to environmental crises, but as a microcosm of how climate change stands to impact the financially disenfranchised across the globe as climate shifts continue to grow.

Has South Korea accomplished democratic consolidation since the Constitution was revised in 1987? Whereas political freedom has improved, the NSL is generally pointed out as the main obstacle to full freedom but it is not the only one to guarantee respect for human rights. Since full respect for human rights is not guaranteed, democratic consolidation has not been achieved. This book analyzes the issue based on the state of human rights that are an important part of democracy. The starting points are the 1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1987 South Korean Constitution and the 2001 National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Act which are empirically tested. Definitions of democratic consolidation are applied. The study first investiga- tes legislation and human rights institutions, including the National Security Law (NSL), the Con-stitutional Court, the NHRC, adherence to international human rights law and the Universal Periodic Review. Then the impact of inter-Korean relations on human rights are reviewed based on the NSL, dispatches of leaflets across the border and conscientious objectors. Finally, freedom of expression, assembly and association, including the state of sexual minorities, trials of ex-presidents, death penalty, human trafficking and torture are studied.

This paper investigates what role Sweden, by participating in the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) since 1953, has played to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula. What specific contributions has the NNSC done? How important are they in comparison to other factors that have preserved peace? These issues are analyzed by comparing the tasks of the NNSC, as defined by the Armistice Agreement, and the Commission’s work. Consideration is also given to the Commission’s composition and whether its role has changed throughout the years or not. North Korea’s policy to dismantle the NNSC in the 1990s is included, as are the Commission’s responses and the subsequent reorganization of its work.