I have officially completed my first week of research! 

For the past 7 days,  I have almost entirely devoted my time to investigating the Sewol Ferry tragedy, with the aim of moving onto the Itaewon Crowd Crush in my second week. Key parts of my research this week have been the presence and impact of chaebols in South Korea. For those unfamiliar, chaebols are family-ran conglomerates in South Korea which dominate the economy. Since their inception during the Miracle on Han River, they have experience a close relationship with the state, thus granting them more leeway in their commitment to certain guidelines and restrictions. Looking deeper into the role of chaebols into Korean society, particularly their impact on young people's wellbeing has been hugely interesting. 

I have also been researching Park Geun-hye as a person and a political figure. Investigating her public image has been of great interest, especially in terms of how as a woman in an incredibly male dominated field she purposefully tried to balance traditionally 'masculine' and 'feminine' attributes. 

Considering I am following a self-defined project, I have much more creative license in what exactly my outcome will be. Throughout this first week of research, my title has seen a multitude of changes, and it will undoubtedly change every other day! The more avenues I research, the more my research path changes. Whilst I am still committed to investigating the Sewol Ferry Tragedy and the Itaewon Crowd Crush, I am gravitating towards more investigating the effect of chaebols on these events and subsequently the youth of South Korea. Particular avenues of interest that I have come across this past week are the rise of anti-Feminism in young South Korean men and the top-down culture of South Korean workplaces and companies. 

In my second week I will be researching more into Yoon Suk-yeol and his government's actions during the Itaewon Crowd Crush. During this week, I believe I will be looking more into the top-down culture as previously mentioned, rather than the role of chaebols. However, both elements are government enabled, thus drawing the link. 

Until I publish my research, I will link videos and articles of significant interest and importance relating to my project that I have used this week!

https://youtu.be/x1du2pG_8tk

(Documentary about the Sewol Ferry Tragedy)

https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2023/03/the-chaebol-a-curse-in-disguise/#:~:text=Not%20only%20does%20extensive%20lobbying,up%20with%20this%20corruption%20spiral.

(Article discussing the damages of chaebols on society)