• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.808-841
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• 2007

Recently some researchers started to discuss the fundamental limitations of geographical innovation clusters. With the rapid development of information and telecommunication technologies, a new concept of virtual innovation cluster is emerging in the advanced countries an alternative to overcome the limitations of geographical clusters. In this context, this study is designed as a pilot study to verify limitations of and issues with geographical innovation cluster through a survey and review the possible application of virtual innovation cluster as an alternative to geographical innovation cluster. Topics covered in this study include; 1) What are the limitations and/or issues with geographical clusters? 2) Can these limitations of and issues with geographical innovation cluster be overcome with virtual innovation cluster? 3) What is the government policy direction to ensure effective utilization of virtual innovation clusters? To answer these questions, this study adopted various research techniques including literature reviews, surveys, case studies, and expert interviews. Especially, a survey was conducted to diagnose the limitations of geographical innovation cluster policy and to understand the possibility of applying virtual innovation clusters. Finally, the significances and limitations of the study are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.40 no.1 s.106
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• pp.78-95
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to analyze industrial and innovation networks of long-live area of Honam Region and to suggest a policy direction for regional development of rural areas where have been neglected in the knowledge-based information society. Four counties (Sunchang, Damyang, Gokseong, and Gurye) in the Southwestern region of Korea are regarded as long-live belt of Korea. Production and innovation networks :Ire analyzed based on intensive surveys of firms in the belt. Major findings from the surveys are as follows. First, there are considerably strong local networks of production firms in terms of supply of input materials and labor. There are strong backward industrial linkages of the production firms with agricultural activities and considerable forward linkages with tourism industry. In addition, Internet is becoming a useful tool for sales of the new products. Second, the analysis of the innovation networks in the long-live area suggests the development of 'virtual innovation cluster' in the era of knowledge-based information society. The results imply that this innovation networks can be developed as a virtual innovation cluster in the rural areas, which can be the basis for the development of rural innovation systems.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.41 no.1 s.112
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• pp.1-21
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• 2006

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze production and innovation networks of manufacturers in the rural, long-live areas of Gangwon Jeju and to suggest an ideal regional development model of rural areas in the knowledge-based information age. For this purpose, we compared the areas of Gangwon Jeju with the long-live belt areas in the rural pan of the Honan region and Gwangju Jeonju, the urban part of Honam. The findings from the study are summarized as follows. Firstly, the stronger the local networks in terms of supply of the necessary input materials and labor, the more successful the manufacturing industry is in the given area. Secondly, the more diverse and lasting the networks (in terms of the location of manufacturers, local area and national area) and cooperation agents(businesses, research institutions, the local government, the central government) they have, the more prosperous the manufacturing industry is. These results indicate that the successful development model for rural areas requires that we take the approach of fostering potential innovation capabilities of total areas by fully utilizing their innate resources so as to create an internal cooperative network and further build extensive networks encompassing external entities to create a virtual innovation cluster.