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This study conducts a comparative analysis of wildfire response systems in the United States, Japan, and the European Union to derive implications for improving South Korea's wildfire management framework. As climate change intensifies wildfires globally, understanding effective governance structures becomes increasingly critical. The United States employs the Incident Command System (ICS) and National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), providing standardized, scalable response structures. Japan integrates wildfire management within its Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act, emphasizing local engagement and clear responsibility delineation. The European Union demonstrates transnational coordination through its Civil Protection Mechanism and European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). The analysis reveals South Korea faces challenges from institutional fragmentation, unclear command structures, and misalignment between reporting systems and resource allocation. Based on international best practices, this study recommends institutional reforms to clarify jurisdictional authorities, organizational restructuring to enhance initial response capabilities, and improved resource allocation strategies to develop a more integrated, efficient, and resilient wildfire management system for South Korea.

This study examines how attribution patterns influence climate change response behaviors in South Korea. Analyzing data from 1,898 South Korean respondents, the research investigates the impact of external attribution (blaming others or external factors) on climate action while controlling for established predictors from risk perception paradigms and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Regression analysis confirms that external attribution negatively affects climate change response behaviors (β=-0.046, p<0.01), supporting the hypothesis that attributing climate change causes and solutions to external factors reduces willingness to engage in climate-responsive actions. However, personal norms (β=0.218), sense of control (β=0.183), and knowledge (β=0.138) emerged as stronger predictors of climate action. The findings suggest that effective climate communication strategies should emphasize personal responsibility and agency, enhance climate knowledge, frame climate action in terms of benefits rather than threats, and recognize existing personal responsibility rather than attempting to instill it from scratch.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of different CPR methods by reenacting the case of a firefighter in cardiac arrest on fire scene. The research subjects were 62 firefighters from Gyeonggi-do, and 31 in the experimental group were given the (FD-CPR) training program for firefighters downed on fire scene and 31 in the control group were given the Korean Association of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and CPR for the general public (KA-CPR) training program for 80 minutes each, and the difference in the amount of change in performance from before to after the training was compared. The analysis showed that the experimental group had a significant decrease in time to first chest compression (t= -48.76, p< .001), compression depth (t= -9.05, p< .001), compression rate (t= -11.26, p< .001), hands off time (t= -29.26, p< .001) and a significant increase in chest compression position accuracy (t= 23.61, p< .001) than the control group. Therefore, FD-CPR has a greater effect on CPR performance compared to KA-CPR, so if it can be added to the training courses for firefighters at Fire Service Academy nationwide, it will contribute to improving the survival rate of victims of cardiac arrest firefighters downed at the fire scene.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the determinants of energy saving behavior. This study aims to analyse the factors that influence energy saving behavior with a focus on socialization factors. Social factors are fundamental determinants of energy behavior, but there has been a lack of systematic research on them. According to the results of the survey data, first, the influence of socialization factors is in the order of peer group > parent > experience. In order to strengthen learning in energy conservation in social relationships, it is necessary to use educational communities in the community where peers can exchange experiences. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen parental education to reinforce education at home and to expand the number of experience facilities where people can experience energy conservation. Second, in the risk perception paradigm, perceived benefits > subjective knowledge > trust > perceived risk affect energy conservation in the order of perceived benefits > subjective knowledge > trust > perceived risk. Although these variables have a great influence on energy conservation, these factors are closely related to socialization factors, so strategies to improve perceived risk, benefits, knowledge, and trust using socialization factors are necessary.

This study aims to evaluate the structural and operational challenges in China's current rainstorm emergency management system and to propose practical policy solutions for enhancing urban resilience. This research identifies five critical determinants of emergency management efficiency: (1) government coordination capacity, (2) grassroots flood response capability, (3) effectiveness of information dissemination systems, (4) satisfaction with community flood control infrastructure, and (5) residents’ awareness of flood risks. The findings reveal that all 5 factors significantly and positively impact the overall efficiency of rainstorm emergency management. Notably, coordination efficiency and infrastructure satisfaction emerge as the most influential predictors. This study’s policy recommendations include strengthening long-term climate adaptation frameworks, enhancing interdepartmental and cross-regional coordination, investing in grassroots response infrastructure and training, deploying intelligent early warning systems leveraging big data and AI, improving public flood risk literacy through targeted education, and promoting sponge city strategies to build sustainable urban resilience.

This study aimed to empirically examine how national relief services influence the resolution of disaster conflicts. To achieve this, the sub-factors of national relief services were categorized into economic support, healthcare services, psychological counseling, and environmental and facility recovery, and logistic regression analysis was conducted. For the analysis, data from the fourth wave (2019) of the Disaster Victims’ Life Changes Tracking Survey collected by the National Disaster Management Research Institute were utilized. The results identified factors influencing the resolution of disaster-related conflicts, including gender, educational attainment, PTSD, life-threatening experiences, healthcare services, psychological counseling, and environmental and facility restoration. Among these, the healthcare domain within national relief services was found to have the highest odds ratio and a positive impact on resolving conflicts caused by natural disasters.

This study investigates the relationships among academic burnout, peer support, optimism, and mental health in elementary school students, with a focus on the mechanisms through which academic burnout impacts mental health. Data were collected from 588 fourth- to sixth-grade students attending two elementary schools in the capital area. Participants’ levels of academic burnout, peer support, optimism, and mental health including depression and anxiety were assessed. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data, and bootstrapping techniques were used to examine the mediating roles of peer support and optimism. The findings reveal that academic burnout directly affects mental health, leading to increased levels of depression and anxiety. Additionally, academic burnout exerts indirect effects on mental health through optimism, with two key pathways identified: ‘Academic Burnout → Optimism → Mental Health’ and ‘Academic Burnout → Peer Support → Optimism → Mental Health.’ This study emphasizes the importance of addressing both personal factors, such as optimism, and social dynamics, such as peer support, in developing interventions aimed at promoting the mental well-being of elementary school students.

This study explores the job satisfaction of General Disaster Managers (GDMs), who are responsible for disaster management in super high-rise and complex buildings with underground connections. As these structures increase in urban areas, the role of GDMs becomes more critical. Using a survey of eight job satisfaction items from the ‘Korea Network for Occupations and Workers’ (KNOW), data were collected from 95 GDMs and compared with ten other major job classifications. Results show GDMs ranked lowest in salary satisfaction, overall job satisfaction, and willingness to support their children choosing the same job. Despite their high responsibility, GDMs feel undervalued and inadequately compensated. Conversely, GDMs scored relatively higher in social contribution, job security, and growth potential, indicating recognition of the job’s social importance. The study calls for policy reforms to improve compensation and working conditions, alongside efforts to enhance the profession’s public image. Future research should include longitudinal and qualitative approaches to capture deeper insights.

South Korea has the highest suicide rate among young adults in the OECD, reflecting the severe economic hardships faced by this population. This study investigates whether financial support policies targeting young adults can reduce suicide rates. Using geocoded mortality data from Statistics Korea and variations in policy implementation across regions and time, the study employs event-study and panel models to estimate the effects of young adult allowances on suicide rates. Robustness checks, including pre-trend tests and placebo regressions, ensure the validity of the findings. The results reveal a significant reduction in suicide rates among young adults following the implementation of these policies, with stronger effects observed for men than women. These findings align with prior research linking economic hardship to mental health outcomes and highlight the critical role of targeted financial policies in improving well-being. By addressing the underexplored relationship between youth labor policies and health, this study provides new evidence for policymakers seeking to mitigate the causes of youth suicide.

This paper describes the development of an evaluation program designed to efficiently assess the performance of heat exchangers, which are crucial in factories and power plants for heat transfer processes. The program’s efficacy was verified by comparing its results with those from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) TR-101397’s Appendices C and F, as well as with examples from EPRI data. For the uncertainty analysis, both the Colburn and Delaware equations were utilized to accurately reflect the heat transfer characteristics of heat exchangers. The results indicate that the program’s results match closely with those from EPRI TR-101397 for three analyzed cases. In addition, the Delaware equation proved more effective than the Colburn equation in the performance evaluation program for ensuring comprehensive uncertainty analysis. The developed program can provide important information necessary for the safe operation and efficient management of safety-related heat exchangers.