• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.41-51
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• 2017

Purpose - This study proposes the impact of the US and Korean economic policy uncertainty on macroeconomy, and its effect on Korea. The economic policy uncertainty index of the US and Korea is used to represent the economic policy uncertainty on Korean economy. Research design, data, and methodology - In this paper, we collect the eight variables to find out the interrelationship among the US and Korean economic policy uncertainty index of the US and macroeconomic indicators during 1990 to 2016, and use Vector Error Correction Model. Result - The distribution industry stock index in Korea is influenced by the economic policy uncertainty index of the US rather than of Korea. All variables are related negatively to the economic policy uncertainty index of the US and Korea from Vector Error Correction Model. This study shows that the economic policy uncertainty index of the US and Korea has the dynamic relationships on the Korean economy. Conclusions - A higher economic policy uncertainty shows a greater economy recession of a country. Finally, the economic policy uncertainty of the Korea has an intensive impact on Korea economy. Particularly, the economic policy uncertainty of the US has a strong impact on distribution industry stock market in Korea.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.29-54
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• 2018

Using the indicators of economic policy uncertainty developed by Baker et al. (2016), this paper investigates the effects of the US economic policy uncertainty on the Korea economic uncertainty as well as Korea-US foreign exchange risk. The key findings are that: (i) the degree of spillovers of policy uncertainty from the US to Korea is considerable but not comparatively high; (ii) the US policy uncertainty plays a stronger and more consistent role in Korean currency risk than Korea policy uncertainty and other macro variables. It implies that the economic policy uncertainty in the US is an important contributor to Korea-US exchange rates.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.1-17
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• 2020

Purpose - Since China has been South Korea's biggest export destination, uncertainty shocks originating from it would influence South Korea's exports. This paper evaluates the effects of China's economic policy uncertainty on Korea's exports to explore the transmission channels. Design/methodology - Incorporating endogeneities and nonlinearities, this study employs a quarterly time-varying parameters vector autoregressive model to investigate the relationships between China's economic policy uncertainty and Korea's exports, where the overparameterization due to time-varying specifications is overcome by a novel stochastic model specification search framework. According to previous theoretical studies, this paper assesses two channels, demand shock channel and exchange rate channel, through which foreign uncertainty affects Korea's exports. This paper identifies the primary drivers of Korea's aggregate exports and analyzes the rationales for the time-variant impacts of China's economic policy uncertainty on Korea's exports to China. Findings - Our empirical results reveal that Korea's aggregate exports are less responsive to China's economic policy uncertainty shocks and significantly move together with global demand. In contrast, its bilateral exports to China are highly responsive in a negative and time-variant way. Moreover, Chinese investment is an important channel through which China's economic policy uncertainty affects Korea's exports to China after 2010. Further, the time-variant effects of China's economic policy uncertainty on Korea's exports to China are related to changes in China's foreign trade policies, global economic conditions, and China's degree of economic freedom. Originality/value - Few previous studies touch the effects of external uncertainty shocks on South Korea's exports. This paper attempts to fill this gap and explicitly investigate the impacts of China's economic policy uncertainty on Korea's exports from a time-varying perspective. As Korea is an export-oriented economy, this study provides insights for the Korean government to understand the transmissions of external uncertainty better.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.319-330
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• 2023

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the connectedness between categorical economic policy uncertainty (monetary, fiscal, trade and foreign exchange policy uncertainty) indexes and option-implied volatility index in Korea, Japan and the US. Design/methodology/approach - This paper employs the Diebold-Ylmaz (2012) model based on a VAR and generalized forecast error variance decomposition. This paper also conducts regression analyses to investigate whether the volatility indexes are explained by categorical policy uncertainty indexes. Findings - First, we find the total connectedness is stronger in Korea and Japan relative to the US. Second, monetary, fiscal, and foreign exchange policy uncertainty indexes are connected to each other but trade policy uncertainty index is not. Third, the volatility index in Japan and the US is mainly associated with monetary policy uncertainty while the volatility index in Korea is explained by fiscal policy uncertainty index. Research implications or Originality - To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the connectedness among categorical policy uncertainty indexes and the volatility index in Korea, Japan, and the US. The empirical results on the connectedness suggest that transparent policy and communication with the market in one type of policy would reduce the uncertainty in other policies.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.153-166
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• 2023

Purpose - This research empirically analyzes the influence of economic policy uncertainty and free trade agreements (FTAs) on bilateral trade volumes between Korea and its trading partners. The study investigates whether fluctuations in the Economic Policy Uncertainty Index (EPUI) for both Korea and its trading partners significantly impact trade volumes and whether the implementation of FTAs mitigates these effects. Design/methodology - The study employs dynamic panel data analysis using the system generalized method of moments (system GMM) estimation method to achieve its research objectives. It utilizes country-month-level panel data, including the EPUI, trade volume between Korea and its trading partner countries, and other pertinent variables. The use of system GMM allows for the control of potential endogeneity issues and the incorporation of country-specific and time-specific effects. Findings - The analysis yields significant results regarding the impact of economic policy uncertainty on Korea's exports and imports, particularly before the implementation of FTAs. An increase in the EPUI of trading partners leads to a notable increase in Korea's exports to them. Conversely, an increase in Korea's EPUI negatively affects its imports from trading partners. However, post-FTA implementation, the influence of each country's EPUI on trade volume is neutralized, with no significant difference observed. Originality/value - This research contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the interaction effects between economic policy uncertainty and FTAs on bilateral trade volumes. The study's uniqueness lies in its examination of how FTAs mitigate the impact of economic uncertainty on trade relations between countries. The findings underscore the importance of trade agreements as mechanisms to address economic risks and promote international trade relations. In a world where global market uncertainties persist, these insights can aid policymakers in Korea and other countries in enhancing their trade cooperation strategies and navigating challenges posed by evolving economic landscapes.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.128-146
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• 2019

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between internal control, economic policy uncertainty, and performance of cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) based on the panel data of Chinese listed firms. The authors expected that internal control has a positive moderating effect on the performance of cross-border M&A and that it mainly occurs during periods when economic policies are relatively stable. In addition, the authors tried to find out the mechanism of internal control affecting cross-border M&A and the corporate performance. Design/methodology - The authors tested the hypotheses by a multivariate regression model based on the panel data of Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2017. The dependent variable is the change value of business performance (DROA_1,2,3) and the explanatory variables are cross-border M&A (MA), China's uncertainty of economic policy (EPU), and internal control level (IC) respectively. Findings - The authors find that internal control has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between cross-border M&A and corporate performance. Further, the authors find that the moderating effect is more significant in state-owned enterprises and that it mainly occurs during periods when economic policies are relatively stable. Originality/value - This paper is the leading study that tries to analyze empirically the relationship between internal control, economic policy uncertainty, and performance of cross-border M&A. It provides a new avenue through which internal control might reasonably mitigate the risks of cross-border M&A and correspondingly improve the performance of cross-border M&A. It also confirms the moderating effect of internal control on the performance of cross-border M&A under the uncertainty of economic policy.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.191-204
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• 2024

This study analyzes the effects of manufacturing firms' R&D investment on sales according to global political economic uncertainty. The variables in this research include the firm's R&D investment, sales, which serves as an indicator of the firm's performance, and the Global Economic Policy Uncertainty (GEPU) index, which reflects situations of global political economic uncertainty. Panel data analysis is conducted by using a total of 96 quarters of data spanning 24 years from 2000 to 2023 based on manufacturing firms in the Wharton Research Data Services' Compustat Database. We study the impact of firm's R&D investment on sales by considering the Global Economic Policy Uncertainty index, which was relatively underestimated in previous research, as moderating variable, and present a new direction for research by analyzing the time lag effect. We suggest effective R&D investment strategy for firms.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.35-44
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• 2011

Korea has rapidly increased R&D investment over the last few decades and the intensity of R&D investment is among the highest in the world; however, there are serious concerns about R&D performance and R&D efficiency. This study is to improve the economic assessment methodology regarding a feasibility study for national R&D programs that are thought to be one of the most prominent ways to enhance R&D efficiency. In order to improve the methodology of economic assessment, a few of important factors such as technical or market uncertainty, spillover effect, and R&D contribution ratio should be covered in the model. The focus of this article is technological and market uncertainty that has a close relation with strategic flexibility and utilization potential to increase the value of R&D programs. To improve the current linear and definitive R&D process, a new framework with strategic flexibility is suggested, in which the result of economic assessment that considers technological and market uncertainty is reflected in planning. That kind of feedback process is expected to enhance the value of the program/project as well as R&D efficiency.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.639-653
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• 2020

Baker et al. (Quarterly Journal of Economics, 134, 1593-1636, 2016) developed an Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) index for South Korea in the same way as the U.S. EPU Index. However, the South Korean EPU index of Baker et al. (2016) has limitations as it did not fully reflect South Korean situation in terms of keyword selection and the selection of newspapers. We develop monthly South Korean economic policy uncertainty indexes with different keywords and news media. Various analyses have been conducted in order to examine the usefulness of the newly compiled indexes.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.95-140
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• 2024

This study empirically investigates the international transmission of China's uncertainty shocks. It estimates a time-varying parameter Bayesian global structural vector autoregressive model (TVP-BGVAR) using time series data for 33 countries to evaluate heterogeneous international linkage across countries and time. Uncertainty shocks are identified via sign restrictions. The empirical results reveal that an increase in uncertainty in China negatively affects the global economy, but those effects significantly vary over time. The effects of China's uncertainty shocks on the global economy have been significantly altered by China's WTO accession, the global financial crisis, and the recent US-China trade conflict. Furthermore, the effects of China's uncertainty shocks, typically on inflation, differ significantly across countries. Moreover, Trade openness appears crucial in explaining heterogeneous GDP responses across countries, whereas the international dimension of monetary policy appears to be important in explaining heterogeneous inflation responses across countries.