IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/scient/v124y2020i1d10.1007_s11192-020-03461-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A critical examination of international research conducted by North Korean authors: Increasing trends of collaborative research between China and North Korea

Author

Listed:
  • Eungi Kim

    (Keimyung University)

  • Eun Sil Kim

    (Judicial Research and Training Institute)

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the topical areas and collaboration patterns of North Korean researchers. To conduct this study, bibliographic records of researchers affiliated with institutions in the city of Pyongyang for the years from 2002 to 2018 were retrieved from the Scopus database. The results showed disproportional levels of collaboration with China and the marginal level of research papers. North Korean researchers seemed to have worked on labor-intensive subject areas that have both civilian and military applications. The results implied that North Korea is only making modest levels of contributions to the global academic community. The increase in the number of international journal papers authored by North Korean researchers can be considered as a side benefit of maintaining a close relationship with China. The collaboration patterns of North Korea and China seemed to reflect China’s engagement policy toward North Korea and the rapid rise of China’s scientific research production in recent years. The results of this study should be taken into consideration in the design of national policies that tolerate or inhibit collaboration with North Korean researchers.

Suggested Citation

  • Eungi Kim & Eun Sil Kim, 2020. "A critical examination of international research conducted by North Korean authors: Increasing trends of collaborative research between China and North Korea," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 124(1), pages 429-450, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:124:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-020-03461-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-020-03461-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11192-020-03461-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11192-020-03461-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aria, Massimo & Cuccurullo, Corrado, 2017. "bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 959-975.
    2. Abbasi, Alireza & Hossain, Liaquat & Leydesdorff, Loet, 2012. "Betweenness centrality as a driver of preferential attachment in the evolution of research collaboration networks," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 6(3), pages 403-412.
    3. Han Woo Park & Jungwon Yoon, 2019. "Structural characteristics of institutional collaboration in North Korea analyzed through domestic publications," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 119(2), pages 771-787, May.
    4. Philippe Mongeon & Adèle Paul-Hus, 2016. "The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: a comparative analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 106(1), pages 213-228, January.
    5. Nees Jan Eck & Ludo Waltman, 2010. "Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 84(2), pages 523-538, August.
    6. Haiyang Lu & Yuqiang Feng, 2009. "A measure of authors’ centrality in co-authorship networks based on the distribution of collaborative relationships," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 81(2), pages 499-511, November.
    7. Barry Bozeman & Daniel Fay & Catherine Slade, 2013. "Research collaboration in universities and academic entrepreneurship: the-state-of-the-art," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 1-67, February.
    8. Waltman, Ludo, 2016. "A review of the literature on citation impact indicators," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 365-391.
    9. Lee, Yong Suk, 2018. "International isolation and regional inequality: Evidence from sanctions on North Korea," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 34-51.
    10. R. D. Shelton & Grant Lewison, 2013. "Scientific collaboration as a window and a door into North Korea," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 97(1), pages 3-11, October.
    11. Vincent Larivière & Yves Gingras & Cassidy R. Sugimoto & Andrew Tsou, 2015. "Team size matters: Collaboration and scientific impact since 1900," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 66(7), pages 1323-1332, July.
    12. Marianne Gauffriau & Peder Olesen Larsen, 2005. "Counting methods are decisive for rankings based on publication and citation studies," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 64(1), pages 85-93, July.
    13. Marcus Noland, 2019. "North Korea: Sanctions, Engagement and Strategic Reorientation," Asian Economic Policy Review, Japan Center for Economic Research, vol. 14(2), pages 189-209, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hamdi A. Al-Jamimi & Galal M. BinMakhashen & Lutz Bornmann, 2022. "Use of bibliometrics for research evaluation in emerging markets economies: a review and discussion of bibliometric indicators," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(10), pages 5879-5930, October.
    2. Cheng Zhe & Xingfu Lu & Xiong Xiong, 2021. "Analysis of Influence Factors on the Quality of International Collaboration Research in the Field of Social Sciences and Humanities: The Case of Chinese World Class Universities (2015–2019)," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, October.
    3. Philip Baxter & Justin V. Hastings & Philseo Kim & Man‐Sung Yim, 2022. "Mapping the development of North Korea's domestic nuclear research networks," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(2), pages 219-246, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dušan Nikolić & Dragan Ivanović & Lidija Ivanović, 2024. "An open-source tool for merging data from multiple citation databases," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(7), pages 4573-4595, July.
    2. Toshiyuki Hasumi & Mei-Shiu Chiu, 2022. "Online mathematics education as bio-eco-techno process: bibliometric analysis using co-authorship and bibliographic coupling," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(8), pages 4631-4654, August.
    3. Waltman, Ludo, 2016. "A review of the literature on citation impact indicators," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 365-391.
    4. Concepta McManus & Abilio Afonso Baeta Neves & Andrea Queiroz Maranhão & Antonio Gomes Souza Filho & Jaime Martins Santana, 2020. "International collaboration in Brazilian science: financing and impact," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 125(3), pages 2745-2772, December.
    5. Trotta, Annarita & Rania, Francesco & Strano, Eugenia, 2024. "Exploring the linkages between FinTech and ESG: A bibliometric perspective," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    6. Corbet, Shaen & Dowling, Michael & Gao, Xiangyun & Huang, Shupei & Lucey, Brian & Vigne, Samuel A., 2019. "An analysis of the intellectual structure of research on the financial economics of precious metals," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-1.
    7. Benjamin Tawiah & Emmanuel A. Ofori & Fei Bin, 2023. "Scientometric Review of Sustainable Fire-Resistant Polysaccharide-Based Composite Aerogels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-34, August.
    8. Boubaker, Sabri & Goodell, John W. & Kumar, Satish & Sureka, Riya, 2023. "COVID-19 and finance scholarship: A systematic and bibliometric analysis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    9. Pech, Gerson & Delgado, Catarina, 2021. "Screening the most highly cited papers in longitudinal bibliometric studies and systematic literature reviews of a research field or journal: Widespread used metrics vs a percentile citation-based app," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 15(3).
    10. Saumyaranjan Sahoo & Satish Kumar & Uthayasankar Sivarajah & Weng Marc Lim & J. Christopher Westland & Ashwani Kumar, 2024. "Blockchain for sustainable supply chain management: trends and ways forward," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1563-1618, September.
    11. Julián D. Cortés & Daniel A. Andrade, 2022. "Winners and runners-up alike?—a comparison between awardees and special mention recipients of the most reputable science award in Colombia via a composite citation indicator," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Potter, Ross W.K. & Szomszor, Martin & Adams, Jonathan, 2020. "Interpreting CNCIs on a country-scale: The effect of domestic and international collaboration type," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 14(4).
    13. Jin Su & Mo Wang & Mohd Adib Mohammad Razi & Norlida Mohd Dom & Noralfishah Sulaiman & Lai-Wai Tan, 2023. "A Bibliometric Review of Nature-Based Solutions on Urban Stormwater Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-23, April.
    14. Rahman, Mohammad Tariqur & Regenstein, Joe Mac & Kassim, Noor Lide Abu & Haque, Nazmul, 2017. "The need to quantify authors’ relative intellectual contributions in a multi-author paper," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 275-281.
    15. Dharmani, Pranav & Das, Satyasiba & Prashar, Sanjeev, 2021. "A bibliometric analysis of creative industries: Current trends and future directions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 252-267.
    16. Tanel Hirv, 2022. "The interplay of the size of the research system, ways of collaboration, level, and method of funding in determining bibliometric outputs," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(3), pages 1295-1316, March.
    17. Andrea Caputo & Mariya Kargina, 2022. "A user-friendly method to merge Scopus and Web of Science data during bibliometric analysis," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 82-88, March.
    18. La Ode Nazaruddin & Balázs Gyenge & Maria Fekete-Farkas & Zoltán Lakner, 2023. "The Future Direction of Halal Food Additive and Ingredient Research in Economics and Business: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-40, March.
    19. Carlo Dindorf & Eva Bartaguiz & Freya Gassmann & Michael Fröhlich, 2022. "Conceptual Structure and Current Trends in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning Research in Sports: A Bibliometric Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-23, December.
    20. Bhatnagar, S. & Sharma, D., 2022. "Evolution of green finance and its enablers: A bibliometric analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:124:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-020-03461-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.