• Korea Trade Review
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.51-65
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• 2020

According to an analysis of 560 foreign-invested companies investing in South Korea's manufacturing industry, the following three facts were found. First, the proportion of sales by manufacturing foreign-invested companies is divided into 68.5 percent of domestic sales and 31.5 percent of exports. From 68.5 percent of domestic sales, sales to Korean companies are 60.5 percent, including 37.1 percent for large companies and 23.4 percent for small and medium-sized companies, while only 8.0 percent for domestic consumers. Second, the investment sectors of manufacturing foreign-invested enterprises are 'machine and equipment manufacturing', 'chemical and chemical-chemical material manufacturing-excluding pharmaceuticals', 'electronic components, computers, video, sound and communication equipment manufacturing' and 'vehicle and trailer manufacturing'. It overlaps with electric·electronics, petro-chemicals and automobiles, which are Korea's main industries and areas of Korean global companies. Third, 31.5 percent of the sales of foreign-invested companies in the manufacturing sector are exported. Foreign-invested companies export their products to use them for their parents or affiliates or to the third countries. The analysis shows that foreign-invested companies invested in Korea for B2B transactions with Korean companies. The implications are that Korea can attract foreign investments by utilizing Korean companies' demand for intermediate goods. Foreign-invested companies can invest in Korea in order to use Korea, which has signed free trade agreements with the US, the EU and ASEAN, as an export platform.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.56
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• pp.29-54
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• 2012

As market is more and more mature, the survival environment of exporting companies is getting severer, which throws exporting companies into great pressures of the process of growth and development. For most businessmen, the hardest part of starting a foreign business is to find buyers or to get customers, which is more critical for small and medium-size foreign enterprises. The fast changes of internal and external trade and market circumstances, together with the advent of e-commerce, led to the diversified of the way to find foreign buyers for exporting companies. But the performance differs in using different ways of finding foreign buyers. Therefore, this study examines the status of the methods of finding foreign buyers and performance of exporting companies in China. Based on the investigation of the ways of finding foreign buyers, this study tries to find out the most efficient ways of finding foreign buyers for them. And this study tries to propose some practical suggestions for the exporting companies based on the analysis that will help them to improve companies' performances.

• International Journal of Quality Innovation
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.129-147
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• 2008

This research is to investigate the effect of the improvement of investment environments with investment incentive on Korean national economy by looking into the foreign investment support system in Korea. To this end, first research model was set up based on our literary study and case study was conducted on 150 foreign companies that were located in industrial complex for foreign companies, received the tax benefit and government subsidization. And it was found that even though the foreign companies were contributing to the national economy in general such as in the area of production, export, employment, development of technology, there was no significant contributory difference between the investment incentive beneficiary and non-beneficiary foreign companies. Therefore it deemed reasonable to reconsider the way Korean government supports foreign companies in Korea and to reinforce foreign companies' relevance to national policy agenda with additional incentives to foreign companies located in comparatively less developed areas. As a way to promote foreign investment, promotion of investment infra such as improvement of follow-up services, openness to foreign investment, industrial deregulations in capital area, revitalization of free economic zone, efficient system to promote foreign investment and the reinforcement of public relations were considered necessary, especially the upgrading of economic structure and the integrated management of domestic and foreign investors deemed necessary for the optimal distribution of the industries.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.121-147
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• 2001

This paper analyzed the R&D activities of foreign companies in Korea. A survey was conducted using questionnaires along with the field interviews. The survey results show that some foreign companies in Korea actively carry out R&D indicating that Korea is becoming a R&D location for the multinational companies. It also shows the wide differences by industries, corporate size, foreign equity ratio, and home country of mother companies. It is suggested that Korean government should utilize the inward foreign direct investment to strengthen the national innovation system of Korea. Various policy measures were recommended to encourage foreign companies to have easier access to domestic R&D resources, carry out R&D activities, and interact with domestic R&D actors. It is also argued that it is necessary to eliminate negative environmental barriers perceived by foreign companies.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.186-192
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• 2010

The present study classified the auto-parts makers into four groups according to their investment ownership. Four groups consist the one fully owned by Koreans, the one fully owned by foreigners, the one owned less than 100% but more than 50% by foreigners, lastly the one owned by less than or equal to 50% by foreigners. Among these, the auto-parts makers, 100% foreign ownership, have the highest Malmquist productivity index while 100% Korean-owned part-makers has the lowest productivity. In case of the 100% foreign ownership companies, the cause of Malmquist change, however, is attributed to the technical efficiency change. In particular, the pure technical change is the main source of the Malmquist change. This may indicate that the 100% foreign-owned companies have successfully transferred their production process technologies to the Korean plants. They are enjoying so called the "imitation-effect." 100% Korean-owned companies were not able to create the "imitationeffect" and therefore failed to close the gap with the foreign-owned companies in terms of the production efficiency. 100% Korean-owned auto-parts makers, however, outperformed the foreign-owned companies in the technological change. The outstanding technological change may indicate that Korean-owned part makers were able to narrow the gap with the foreign-owned companies in the area of engineering technological capabilities. The same results were also observed for 50% foreign-owned companies. Knowing that the core competence of the auto-parts makers lies on the engineering technological capabilities, the research found that the most desirable form of the foreign investment was 50% of foreign ownership.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.213-234
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• 2010

This study focused on the determining factors of foreign workers employment in Korean companies. To improve our national enterprise's work outcome, it is necessary to establish a rational employment management policy plan so that the Korea can promote influx of foreign workers who have appropriate job skills and are hard-working and well suited for cultural environment. Accordingly, the companies need to develop the program by considering following. First, the duty of skilled foreign workers for employment is an important determinant factor and thus the targeting for foreign workers is necessary to proceed with pre-paced training. Second, reflecting the cultural characteristics of migrant workers, a cultural adjustment program needs to be developed. In this regard, the national program of screening foreign workers at the government level and the adaptation program needs to be launched suitable for local environment.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.18
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• pp.159-188
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• 2002

International joint ventures are usually formed and managed by domestic companies and foreign investors for the common objectives. They offer an opportunity for each partner to benefit significantly from the comparative advantages of the other. Local partners bring knowledge of the domestic market; familiarity with government bureaucracies and regulations; understanding of local labor markets; and existing manufacturing facilities. Foreign partners can offer advanced process and product technologies, management know-how, and access to export markets. In Korea, joint ventures have been encouraged to usher in foreign investors with foreign currency capital badly needed during the IMF financial crisis. In the meantime, Korean laws and regulations with respect to joint ventures have been largely overhauled to promote foreign direct investment (FDI) both inbound and outbound. They include four types of FDI, i.e., acquisition of foreign stocks, provision of long-term loans, participation in joint operations like resources development, and establishment of foreign offices. From the legal point of view, the formal joint venture agreement must be an offspring of a series of tough negotiations between domestic and foreign partners. They usually stress the long-term relationship with the good will and dedication to each other, and restrict the free transfer of stocks. Both partners are earnestly interested in the ownership and management of the joint venture. So they keep a close eye on the articles of incorporation, changes of business environment, conflict resolution methods, transparency of accounting and other financial matters. When a multinational corporation (MNC) is involved in the joint venture, conflicts over management strategies, marketing and other issues take place more often than not between the MNC and local partners. We have to pay attention to joint ventures, particularly, in China and North Korea. As witnessed in other transition economies, China is eagerly bringing in foreign direct investments for the development of nation's economy. China encourages foreign investors to establish ordinary joint ventures, contractual joint ventures, solely invested foreign capital companies and jointly operated development companies with local partners. In North Korea, however, joint ventures have a different meaning like contractual joint ventures in China, in which North Korean partners have an initiative in the management. Rather, jointly operated companies or simply processing-for-wage companies are recommended in view of the unpredictable legal infrastructure in North Korea.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.19-38
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• 2021

This study aims to analyze the foreign asset leverage effect on Korean oil & gas companies' foreign profits and to maintain the appropriate foreign asset volume for reducing exchange risk. For a long time, large Korean companies, including oil companies, overheld foreign currency liabilities. For this reason, most large companies have been burdened to hedge exchange risk and this excess limit holding deteriorated total profit and reduced foreign currency asset management efficiency. Our paper proceeds in presenting a three-stage analysis considering diversified exchange risk factors through estimation on transformation of foreign transactions a/c including annual trends of foreign asset and industry specifics. We also supplement incomplete the estimation method through a practical hedging case investigation. Our research parts are differentiated on the analyzing four periods considering period-specifics The FER value of the oil firms ranged from -0.3 to +2.3 over the entire period. The results of the FER Value are volatile and irregular; those results do not represent the industry standard comparative index. The Korean oil firms are over the credit limit without accurate prediction and finance high interest rate funds from foreign-owned banks on the basis on a biased relationship. Since the IMF crisis, liabilities of global firms have decreased. Above all, oil firms need to finance a minimum limit without opportunity losses on the demand forecast and prepare for uncertainty in the market. To reduce exchange risk from the over-the-limit position, we must consider factors that affect the corporate exchange risk on the entire business process, including the contract phase.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.225-237
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• 2019

Recently, it has been argued that it is necessary to attract foreign patients outside domestic insurers and to allow foreign doctors to treat in domestic hospitals in order to develop the insurance industry and revitalize the medical industry. Currently, large medical institutions in Korea are attracting foreign patients in connection with foreign insurance companies. It is desirable to increase the number of overseas patients who want excellent medical services in Korea, and to provide opportunities for domestic insurance companies to attract overseas patients by expanding job creation through a revitalization of the medical industry. Therefore, this study suggests the development direction for insurers who aim to attract foreign patients through the side effects of attracting foreign patients in accordance with the Financial Services Commission's plan to strengthen the competitiveness of the financial industry. In addition, this study intends to contribute to the strengthening of the competitiveness of attracting foreign patients, through domestic insurance business, to the insurance direct payment market for overseas patients using domestic medical institutions that are concentrated in foreign insurance companies and in the blind spot of domestic law application.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.193-206
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• 2006

The United States demands that the Korean Government include in the WTO GPA the privately invested projects of the BOT contract. Controversy surrounding BOT contract will continue. As of result of opening up of private investment market including BOT contracts, inflow of foreign capital will be expanded, and it will provide an opportunity for rectifying any unreasonable policies or regulations. With active penetration of foreign companies, there is a possibility for deepening of competition in the private investment market, and if a foreign administrative company is selected, possibility of assigning high value works such as design to foreign companies leaving labor intensive work such as construction to domestic companies exists, and also, difficulties resulting from agreement between the employer and the foreign administrative company exists. Large-scale construction companies must put forth their efficiency and creativity, and through revolutionary constructions by private sectors, reduction in construction cost should be made possible, and must also increase efficiency in maintenance, repair, and management of the facility. On the other hand, in order for Korean construction companies of BOT businesses to be able to enter the foreign BOT industry, the government needs to conduct studies in information and policies of various nations.