• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.325-355
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• 2015

This paper looks at the integration of regions and nations through the prism of the merger of populations (societies). The paper employs a particular index of social stress. Stylized examples of the merging of two populations suggest that with integration, the social stress index will increase. The examples form the basis for the development of new formulas for calculating the social stress of an integrated population as a function of the levels of social stress of the constituent populations when apart. The formulas reveal that the social stress of an integrated population is higher than the sum of the levels of social stress of the constituent populations when apart. This raises the distinct possibility that the merging of populations may be a social liability: integration may fail to give the populace a sense of improved wellbeing.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.111-137
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• 2001

The establishment of the WTO system means that the global age of trade has officially arrived. Since the integration of the world economy brings about the free movement of goods and services between nations, it is inevitable that sea-bound freight will continue to increase. A recent World Bank report says that China and Korea will be the first and seventh largest economic Powers, respectively, by the year 2020. In particular, the Korea peninsula has a geo-political advantage in being developed as a major Northeast Asian container center. Moreover China's swift uprising needs new order of trade for economy belt in Northeast Asia. Therefore, it can be said that Kunsan Port. which has already been designated as a free trade zone, has greater potential to rise as a regional beach-head port and main region for foreign investment. As such. Kunsan Port will play a major role in accelerating the emergence of the West Sea in international trade. There are several strategies for developing Kunsan Port into a central container port: 1) develop Kunsan port Into an import/export front base f3r multinational corporations, 2) develop Kunsan container port into the core composite container-linked central port, 3) attract foreign investment to the Kunsan Free Trade Area so as to promote balanced development among the regions of Korea, 4) support the central government and local governments to accelerate the coming of the "West Sea Era." These recommendations call for urgent implementation.