• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2019

This paper studies whether export diversification mitigated the negative effect of the global financial crisis on exports using the Korean case. Specifically, we use annual data on the exports of 24 Korean manufacturing industries from 2000 to 2016 and examine whether the negative effect of the crisis on exports was less prevalent in industries that were more diversified in terms of country and product. We also examine whether export competitiveness, as measured by the revealed comparative advantage index by industry, had a mitigating effect on trade during the crisis. In order to study these issues, we use panel regression with a fixed-effect model for 24 Korean manufacturing industries. From our empirical analysis, we find that country diversification weakened the negative impact of the global financial crisis on Korea's exports, whereas neither product diversification nor export competitiveness did so.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.462-473
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• 2008

In recent years, Korea's apparel exports to the USA have faced a great threat, as the trade environment around the world has changed continually. The purpose of this study is to analyze the competitive position of Korean apparel exports to the USA, and to enhance export competitiveness by applying to offshore sourcing. The trade data of the Office of Textiles and Apparel(OTEXA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce were selected for inquiry about export competitiveness of apparel products made in Korea. In addition, we targeted members of the Korea Apparel Industry Association among the 500 exporters of clothing items in "The Import and Export Textile Product 2003." A total 70 sheets were analyzed. The results of this study were as follows: 1) Korean apparel exports to USA have decreased by 20-35 percent per year since 2005 under the Free Trade Area, showing that Korean apparel industries have not adapted to the new trade environment. Although Korean apparel exports to USA have indicated a trade surplus from now on, Korean apparel industries should find new ways to overcome this situation, diminishing exports and increasing imports. 2) Korean apparel companies selected more offshore sourcing than domestic sourcing. Also, as Korean apparel companies manufactured apparel products offshore, foreign subcontracting outranked manufacturing in their own foreign plants. When they chose foreign countries to source, they turned mainly to China and Vietnam. Also, they considered the target country's manufacturing price, labor stability, apparel products, quality, lead time, and so on. In order to increase apparel exports, Korean apparel industries should focus more on developing competitively new apparel products, improving the ability of sourcing management, and establishing on-the-spot agencies.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2018

The present status of the mold industry, including the size of the mold industry in Korea, its position in the global market, the production of the mold industry, import and export, and recent trends in the mold industry were examined. The survey was implemented for the trends fo dies and molds industry in 2017 by answers on business environment for Korean Mold Industry Cooperative Union members. The sharp decline in plastic mold exports in 2015 led to a decline in overall exports. China and Japan account for a very large share of mold exporting countries, but exports to emerging markets such as India, Mexico and Vietnam contributed to the overall increase in mold exports. China, Japan, India, the United States and Mexico were named as exporting countries with more than US $ 200 million, and Vietnam showed similar tendency as a major exporter. A survey conducted by the Korea Mold Industry Cooperative Association showed that the decrease in production and exports was predicted. In order to overcome the difficulties of the mold industry, the need for research on the linkage of the mold industry and technology to the wave of the fourth industrial revolution has increased.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.179-204
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• 2022

This study examines the extent to which policy-based loans to SME exporters affect their export performance (the intensive margin of exports). We also investigate the heterogeneous export effects of policy-based loans that may depend on firm- and industry-specific characteristics, such as credit ratings, debt-to-assets ratios, firm size and age. To do so, we conduct a survey, of 1,000 Korean SMEs, that collect information on firm-level exports and policy-based loans. The main empirical findings strongly support that SMEs that receive policy-based loans tend to increase their export volumes. However, these loans' positive impact on exports are only valid for SME exporters with credit scores of 12 or greater (that is, SMEs that have difficulty accessing the external financial market). The estimation results with respect to SMEs' dependence on external financing imply that policy-based loans for SMEs in sectors that are heavily dependent on external finance are effective in that they are instrumental in increasing these firms' exports. These empirical findings emphasize the importance of the external financial market to SME exporters who face various up-front investments that are related to their exporting activities.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2021

Purpose - The global trend of protectionism has expanded since the onset of US President Donald Trump's administration in 2017. This global phenomenon has led to a significant reduction in world trade volume and a negative impact on economic development in some countries where the external sector accounts for a large proportion of GDP. Although Korea is a country vulnerable to this deteriorating trade environment, few studies have examined the relationship between protectionism and its business cycles based on Korean data. Thus, this paper investigates the impact of protectionism on Korea's business cycle. Design/methodology - To identify future implications, we conduct a structural vector autoregression (VAR) analysis using monthly Korean data from 1994 to 2015. Macroeconomic variables in the model include the industrial production index, inflation rates, exports (or net exports), interest rates, and exchange rates. For the identification of the shock reflecting the expansion of protectionism, we use an antidumping investigation (ADI) data. Since ADIs are followed generally by the imposition of antidumping tariffs, they have no contemporaneous impact on tariffs and are also contemporaneously exogenous to other endogenous variables in the VAR model. We examine two kinds of ADI shocks i) shocks on Korean exports imposed by Korea's trading partners (ADI-imposed shocks) and ii) shocks on imports imposed by the Korean government (ADI-imposing shocks). Findings - We find that Korea's exports decline sharply due to ADI-imposed shocks; the lowest point at the third month after the initial shock; and do not recover until 24 months later. Simultaneously, the inflation rate decreases. Therefore, the ADI-imposed shock can be regarded as a negative shock on the demand curve where both production and price decrease. In contrast, the ADI-imposing shock generates a different response. The net exports decline, but the inflation rate increases. These can be seen as standard responses with respect to the negative shock on the supply curve. Originality/value - We shed light on the relationship between protectionism and Korea's economic fluctuations, which is rarely addressed in previous studies. We also consider the effects of both protective policy measures on imports to Korea imposed by the Korean government and on policy measures imposed by Korea's trading partner countries on its exports.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2019

Purpose - This paper empirically investigates the competition effect of exports between Korea and China in their common-export markets considering market sophistication. Modern market sophistication includes an importing country's aggregate demand for products of high quality, design, novelty, eco-friendliness, and even IPR protection. Using an empirical analysis to identify the demand for product quality across countries, this paper estimates the effects of market sophistication on the competition between Korean exports and Chinese products. Design/Methodology - Our empirical model considers the relationship between an importing country's consumer sophistication and the export competition between Korea and China. This study employs the existing theoretical framework to identify the aggregate demand for product quality across countries. Using a quite direct measurement (the consumer sophistication index, our analysis investigates the differential effects of Korea's export market sophistication, particularly in markets where Korean exports are in competition with similar Chinese products. Findings - Our main findings can be summarized as follows: the negative effects of the export competition between Korea and China on Korea's exports are stronger in third markets where consumers are less sophisticated while the effects are not as pronounced in markets where consumers are more sophisticated. This result, however, best applies to differentiated goods which significantly vary in product quality. Originality/value - Existing studies focus on the supply side of production and make the assumption that the market preference for export quality is identical across countries. This paper attempts to evaluate the export competition between Korea and China from the demand-side perspective. This area of trade studies is underexplored both empirically and in theory, although the issue has long been important to Korean and world trade.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.1-27
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• 2017

The purpose of this paper is to examine how industry-level R&D investments increase exports in Korean manufacturing industries through the strengthening of product competitiveness and cost competitiveness. We developed a research model indicating that R&D investments positively affect product competitiveness and cost competitiveness, in which investments in R&D will finally lead to increases in exports in manufacturing industries. Product competitiveness is divided into new product innovation capability and product quality competitiveness, while cost competitive advantage is divided into labor productivity and capital productivity. We have collected data from 20 manufacturing industries between 2004 and 2014, and analyzed them through path analysis. Empirical results of this study are as follows. First, R&D investment in the manufacturing industry positively affects new product innovation capability, product quality competitiveness, labor productivity and capital productivity of the industries. Second, increased product quality competitiveness, labor productivity and capital productivity positively affects exports of Korean manufacturing industries. Thus, we can conclude that R&D investments in Korean manufacturing industries positively influence exports through increases in product quality competitiveness, labor productivity and capital productivity.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.207-220
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• 2019

In the context of export-oriented growth strategy, Korea has promoted the conclusion of FTAs and 16 FTAs have entered into force or concluded so far. Despite of these efforts, the expansion of the global value chain (GVC) has resulted in fragmentation of production processes and international companies have been struggling to meet the criteria for determining the rule of origin. In order to overcome these difficulties, some foreign FTAs have been introducing cross-cumulation of origin. In this paper, we try to examine empirically whether the easing of the rules of origin using cross-cumulation contributes to the increase in actual value-added exports. we quantify the effects of cross-cumulation included in the EU-Vietnam FTA on Korean exports of the textile through a gravity model using the concept of value-added export. Based on the analysis results, the proportion of value-added exports in Vietnam increased by adoption of cross-cumulation of origin, which consequently resulted into an increase in total exports. This paper tries to draw several implications for the rules of origin in Korea's FTAs including cross-cumulation considering the export value chain of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.539-549
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• 2023

Domestic processed food exports might increase due to the free trade agreement (FTA) and spread of the Korean Wave, Hallyu. However, the share of the domestic raw materials in the domestic processed food industry is very low at 31.4%, which limits the spillover effect on domestic agriculture. Therefore, we selected frozen dumplings as a representative processed food whose exports are growing rapidly and conducted a multiple regression analysis to examine the effects of Hallyu and FTA variables on the frozen dumpling exports. We tried to link them to an increase in agricultural income through the expansion of demand for the domestic raw materials. This study analyzed tariff indicator as the FTA variable, cosmetics export value indicator as the Hallyu Wave variable, and other variables expected to change the trade environment such as gross domestic product (GDP) and the relative exchange rate by country as the key explanatory variables that affect changes in the trade environment. The analysis showed that the core hypothesis, the Hallyu variable and the FTA variable, have a positive impact on frozen dumpling exports. Frozen dumpling exports are expected to increase as the FTAs and the spread of Hallyu are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Therefore, we should seek ways to increase the proportion of domestically produced ingredients in the frozen dumplings to spread the economic impact to domestic agriculture. We reviewed previous studies and determined, the price-related factors play a major role in the use of imported ingredients, and that price stability and competitiveness are essential to increase the share of the domestically produced ingredients. Based on these conclusions, we reviewed the current status of food industry-related policies and determined measures needed to expand the use of domestically produced ingredients.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.32-35
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to the Gyeongbuk area of mushroom exports by increasing exports strategy, and export support for establishing a policy analysis of the factors that you can take advantage of the basic information to get. Mushroom industry has made a rapid growth over the past 20 years in Korea. Gyeongbuk province mushroom exports account for about half of the country, enoki and total exports in 2009, and 81%, increased to 14% in 2010 and 2010, the maximum exports (9,415 tons) and the maximum exports (14,840 grand)was recorded. King oyster mushroom to represent the Netherlands in Europe, exports were higher exports to China is negligible. In the case of China in 2001, 5 spots automated mushroom factory, production, but only 8,000 tons in 2011, 652 mushroom factory, production of 1,100,000 tons very quickly grew.