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대학/대학원
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연구/산학
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대학생활
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입학/취업
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커뮤니티
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대학소개
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개교 80주년
연구/산학
PKNU Research 1000
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Pukyong National University, the first university in Busan,always paves a new path through specialized and converged research to lead the era of the fourth indutrial revolution.
| Jae-Il Cho | Analyzes changes in adolescent behavior during heightened inter-Korean tensions in 2016 | |||
| 작성자 | 대외홍보센터 | 작성일 | 2026-11-03 |
| 조회수 | 11 | ||
| Jae-Il Cho | Analyzes changes in adolescent behavior during heightened inter-Korean tensions in 2016 | |||||
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대외홍보센터 |  |
2026-11-03 |  |
11 |
Adolescents in Border Regions Showed Increased Altruism Amid Heightened North Korean Threats in 2016
- Research team led by Pukyong National University Professor Jae-Il Cho analyzes changes in adolescent behavior during heightened inter-Korean tensions in 2016
- Adolescents in border regions showed increased engagement in helping friends, volunteering, donating, and environmentally responsible activities … Findings published in an SSCI-indexed international journal
A recent study has found that during a period of heightened military threats from North Korea, adolescents living in areas close to the perceived threat responded by becoming more considerate of others and more willing to help those around them.
A research team comprising Professor Jae-Il Cho of the Department of Economics at Pukyong National University (corresponding author), Professor Dirk Bethmann of the Department of Economics at Korea University (first author), and Professor Dara Fox of the Institute of Foreign Language Studies at Korea University (co-author) empirically analyzed the effects of external threats on individual altruistic behavior in their paper titled “In the Worst of Times, the Best of Us: External Threat and Individual Altruism at the Inter-Korean Border in 2016.”
The paper was published this month in Volume 27 (2026) of Journal of Happiness Studies, an international journal indexed in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). The journal is highly regarded in the field of happiness and well-being research, ranking in the top 7.5% according to Journal Citation Reports (JCR), the top 5.98% based on CiteScore, and the top 4.33% according to SCImago Journal Rank (SJR).
In 2016, inter-Korean tensions escalated significantly following North Korea’s fourth and fifth nuclear tests, propaganda broadcasts directed toward South Korea, and GPS jamming activities. The research team analyzed adolescents in the Seoul metropolitan area using data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS). Applying the Difference-in-Differences (DiD) method, the researchers compared changes in adolescent behavior before and after the escalation of tensions between those living in border regions and those in non-border regions.
The analysis revealed that adolescents in border regions showed a marked increase in their willingness to help friends in need, participate in community volunteer activities, and donate to impoverished countries. Environmentally responsible behaviors, such as conserving water and recycling, also increased. These findings suggest that external threats can strengthen solidarity and mutual care among community members. The research team interpreted the results as evidence that people may become more generous toward one another when facing external threats, potentially enhancing community resilience.
Professor Jae-Il Cho, who led the research, said, “The significance of this study lies in its empirical demonstration that security crises can also foster care and solidarity within communities, going beyond previous research that has primarily focused on the negative effects of such crises on adolescent health. The findings offer a hopeful message that, even in the most difficult times, communities can overcome adversity through the collective strength of people helping one another.” <Pukyong Today>
