• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.45-60
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• 2003

As the process of economic globalization deepens market uncertainty and severe competition, modern companies are tend to rely on non-market, socio-economic mechanisms such as trust, collaboration, and interdependence, They are being more influenced by cultural economic mechanisms like networks, embeddedness, and placeness rather than explicit cost-reductions. This paper analyzes the characteristics of industrial clusters, the formation of social capital, and the process of institutionalization by comparing two distinctive types of clusters, say Teheran and East-Gate Valleys in Seoul, Korea. The one is mainly consisted of IT industries with increasing vertical integration supported by venture capitals and favorable business infrastructures. The other cluster has long been a traditional CBD frame of Seoul and has transformed to the most dynamic and productive area, characterized by one-stop 'R&D-production-distribution-consumption-after sales services'. The study of the developmental trajectory and key characteristics for these kinds of clusters can give us insight for the cluster theory. This paper firstly reviews the similarities and differences between the social capital in general and that of industrial clusters. It then profiles the growth of the two clusters over the past decade, and compares the current spatial and business structure of the two clusters, focusing on transactions costs, the creation and flow of information, and the local institutions. The paper concludes with some comments about the prospects and perils of the two types industrial clusters of Seoul.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.85-102
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• 1998

The Changing Characteristics of Office Location in Central Seoul In recent years, central Seoul has been experiencing a dynamic transformation. In the process of reorganization of urban industrial structure including tertiarization and quaternarization of the economic base of Seoul, business services are growing very rapidly and large scale urban renewal projects are agilely implemented. Downtown office activities become a nucleus for economic performance of Seoul and high-rise office buildings steer the landscape transformation of central Seoul. Even though there appear to exist some evidences that office districts have dispersed to several subcenters, major office activities are still concentrated in the central Seoul. This paper redefines office industry in a narrow meaning comprising only relevant economic sectors and office buildings as office activity-functioning units. It then explores the industrial networking and territorial specialization of office activities focusing on the dual process of concentration and dispersion in Seoul. The changing characteristics of the downtown linkages of office activities in this post-industrial era transforms the spatial economy of central Seoul into more flexible and volatile, while territorial concentration of power and control functions are fortified at the same time. Finally, the paper addresses the development of manufacturing-tertiary-quaternary industrial complex, which can be regarded as new industrial clusters, selling cultural economy of urban space and possessing placeness or images for clients and customers, in relation to urban competitiveness and territorial specialization of large metropolitan areas.