• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.35-51
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• 2000

International trade flows have been determined by social, cultural and political environment around the world as well as economic elements. The environment of international trade has changed rapidly as the world has globalized. Significant changes have been generated in the international trade flows. This study investigates the influences of economic globalization on the international trade flows. The changes in international trade flows examined comprehensively by integrating trade with industrial locations, investment, and the various trade related environments. The focus laid on the integration of world economies, such as widening and intensifying international linkages in economic, political and social relation. Special concerns are laid on the impacts of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) by Trans National Corporations (TNCs), which affect the supply-demand distributions of commodities by industrial relocations, and the expansion of intra-firm trade flows on the international trade flow patterns. The geographical characteristics of tile origins and destinations of FDI flows analyzed, since the spatial patterns of the intra-firm trade flows are determined by them. The FDI and intra-firm trade flow patterns have changed significantly over time.