Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (화학과 확학공학 / Hwahak kwa Hwahak Konghak)
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
화학과 확학공학 / Hwahak kwa Hwahak Konghak
Translation and backgrounder by Stephen Mercado
A quarterly journal covering developments in chemical engineering, inorganic chemistry and other branches of chemistry, published by the Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House,
Journal Title: The journal title has various renderings. Chemistry and Chemical Engineering is the name in English. Its name in a simplified version of the standard McCune-Reischauer (M-R) transliteration system and the actual title in Korean are listed above.
Author Information: Editorials and anecdotes of the Revolution (혁명 일화) are unsigned. The research papers show author names but lack other information common to science papers, such as academic or professional affiliation, academic titles, areas of research or author biography. The journal’s title suggests possible author affiliation with relevant institutes of the State Academy of Sciences (SAS), including the Organic Chemistry Institute in the SAS Hamhung Branch and relevant academic departments. For example, in an article published in Issue 2, 2017, author Jong Sung Ho cited his own 2016 article posted on the Internet at arXiv.org. The posted article, in which his name was rendered as Sung-Ho Jong, identified him as a member of the Department of Chemistry at Kim Il Sung University.
Subject Matter: The articles have to do with developments in chemical engineering, inorganic chemistry and other branches of chemistry.
References: Authors publishing in this journal tend to cite domestic, Chinese, Russian, and Western monographs and journal articles. Domestic citations include the Industrial Publishing House’s 2017 work Aspen프로그람에 의한 화학장치설계 1 [Chemical Equipment Design Using Aspen Programs, 1] and the same publisher’s 2009 monograph 회토류재료와 그 리용 [Rare Earth Materials and Their Uses]. Cited Chinese journals include 化学反应工程与工艺 (Chemical Reaction Engineering and Technology), 中国石油大学学报 (Journal of China University of Petroleum), and 上海化工 (Shanghai Chemical Industry). Russian journals include ЖПХ (Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry). Western citations include US patents, the AIChE Journal: Official Publication of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Sections: Each issue comprises a front cover; an unnumbered page with a framed quotation of one of the three generations of the Kim family; a table of contents (TOC) in Korean; the articles; the publishing information; a partial TOC in English; and the back cover.
In recent years, the front cover shows a slogan over the journal title, under which is the name of the publisher, the issue number and year of issue, and the corporate logo. The TOC in Korean – under a slogan, the title, issue number and year of issue, and the cumulative issue number – starts with two or three items, each either an editorial or an anecdote of the Revolution. There follows some number of articles under the sections “Research Papers” (연구론문) and “Research Data” (연구자료). Some issues may include other sections, such as “General Remarks” (종합론설) and “Legal Commentary” (법무해설). Following the last item is the publishing information. There follows a TOC in English, in which there are only translations for the section “Research Papers,” which is translated as “Original Papers.” The back cover shows the periodical publication number and, in recent years, the journal’s International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) over a bar code.
Publisher: The publisher’s name in English is the Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House. It is the Kwahak Paekkwa Sajon Chulpansa in simplified M-R and 과학백과사전출판사 in Korean. The publisher’s name appears in Korean on the journal’s cover and in English on the copyright line on the publishing information page. In addition, the front cover includes the publisher’s logo: a globe, with a representation of the atom imposed at the top and an abbreviated version of the publisher’s Korean name, 백과 (Paekkwa), at the bottom.
Prior to Issue 3, 2018, the publisher’s name printed on the front cover was 과학기술출판사 (Kwahak Kisul Chulpansa, the Science and Technology Publishing House). Confusingly, the front cover for 2016, 2017, and the first two issues of 2018 show the Science and Technology Publishing House name together with the Paekkwa corporate logo.
The publisher publishes an issue each quarter, starting in January, totaling four issues per year. According to the TOC and publishing information page, issue 3 (July) 2022 was cumulative issue number 354. The publishing information page also indicated that there was an editorial committee (no members named), the publisher was the Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House, the place of printing was the Moranbong Printing Plant, the date of printing was 15 July Juche 111 (2022), and the date of issue was 30 July Juche 111 (2022). The copyright line was © Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House 2022, DPR Korea. The publishing information has shown changes over time; for example, in Issue 1, 2002, the publisher was the Science and Technology Publishing House, and that issue of the journal showed no copyright line, ISSN or telephone number.