• Korea Trade Review
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.89-111
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• 2016

The Mega-FTA is intended for emerging economies, including developed economies, to expand economies of scale in a single market. The Bilateral FTA shall take into account the relevant industries and the inter-country related industries to adjust the origin standard and preferential tariff rates. Therefore, certain competitive industries can expect foreign investment and re-investment in the domestic market as well as expansion of the market in the region. However, the mega-FTA should expand the size of the economy under the same preferential tax rates for many Partner countries. The Mega-FTA can maximize the effectiveness of the agreement by making use of the competitive advantages of the participating countries. In the mega-FTA, Cumulative Criteria should be appropriately used as a supplemental standard of origin. The Cumulative Criteria is an important FTA utilization factor that determines the success of the mega-FTA. Using FTA, Korea should export locally produced materials using cheaper labor force in FTA partner country. In addition, in order to prepare the Mega-FTA, which allows full cumulation, it is necessary to encourage the overseas transfer of low-cost structure materials processing industry so that the material suppliers can be transferred to the area where production cost is lower and raw material supply is easier.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.118-137
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• 2019

Purpose - As global trade disputes intensify and global trade uncertainty increases due to the prevailing trade protectionism all over the world, mega-FTAs such as the RCEP and CPTPP are suggested as strategic trade policy options for export-driven small open economies, such as Korea. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of Korea's mega-FTA participation and the induced implications for the Korean economy. Design/methodology - We use a multi-region, multi-sector global CGE model, and investigate the different effects of both the US-China and US-EU trade wars on the relative changes in GDP, welfare, and trade under different trade policy regimes; (i) Korea does not participate in any mega-FTA, (ii) Korea participates in the RCEP, and (iii) Korea participates in the CPTPP. Findings - We show, among others, that though industrial effects might be largely varied, the overall enlarging of free trade zones through multilateral mega-FTA participation may contribute significantly to the macroeconomic soundness and stability of Korea, even when global trade protectionism prevails. Under RCEP and CPTPP trade regimes, Korea's GDP may increase even when the global trade environment deteriorates as trade wars occur and intensify between the US and China, or between the US and EU. It is also estimated that RCEP participation increases Korea's GDP, welfare (measured in equivalent variation), and total trade by 1.12%, $1.09 billion, and 2.54%, respectively, while CPTPP participation increases them by 0.19%, $0.92 billion, and 0.13%, respectively. Originality/value - Existing studies usually focus on the direct impacts of mega-FTA participation on macroeconomic variables such as GDP, welfare, and trade, and do not consider the possible buffer effects of a mega-FTA when the global trade environment worsens. In this paper, we analyze and quantify not only the direct impacts of RCEP and CPTPP on the main macroeconomic variables but also the possible buffer effects of the RCEP and CPTPP in the cases of the US-China and US-EU trade wars.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.55-63
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• 2016

Recently, FTA may go beyond the agreement of the two countries, and also FTA is tinged aspects of Mega FTA between the economic sphere, under the situation that FTA and the business model are mutually intertwined in convergence industrial environments. Since South Korea came into force in 52 countries and 15 cases of FTA, South Korea have completed FTA network with the United States, as well as ASEAN and most of OECD member countries, and South Korea is now a critical time to take advantage of the FTA to determine the South Korea's economic performance. This paper examined the previous studies of FTA utilization and analyzed practical usages and problems of SMEs' FTA utilization. Through analysis, this paper suggests that the Training Plans of SMEs' Origin Management Specialist for the Improvement of FTA Utilization is as follows: to build up the effective management system of origin supports, to enrich the origin management competency, to reinforce the operation of supporting system, and to strengthen practical capacity of Origin administrative staff. Based on the results, it is expected to provide the policy implications for the FTA utilization in the future.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.205-220
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• 2019

This article recapitulates the recent changes in trade laws, which may be accentuated due to the intriguing emergence of fortified protectionism and Mega FTAs. It points out the need to formulate not only the corporate strategy for enhancing the product differentiation and architectural capabilities but also the public policy, which comprises the industrial adjustment policy to cope with possible negative impulses caused by the digital trade and foreign direct investment. It is imperative for Korea to facilitate the alignment between corporate strategy and industrial adjustment policy as an effective means of enhancing industrial structure by nurturing those linkage effects between relevant forward and backward industries. Given the drastically volatile trade norms of multi-track trade policies, it may be a pivotal momentum for Korea to pursue a paradigm shift of its trade policy with a prime objective of achieving such an alignment between corporate strategy and industrial adjustment policy, which affords increased value-added and the further development of product or generic technology instead of resorting to the misuses and abuses of economies of scale and production technology for the maximization of export amount.

• The Optical Journal
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• s.161
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• pp.27-29
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• 2016

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.123-157
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• 2016

As the WTO·DDA continues to stagnate, mega FTAs such as the TPP will likely play the leading role in rule-making of trade for some time to come, creating a 'spaghetti bowl' of trade rules. FTAs, notably high-standard and broad-based regional or mega-FTAs, are the appropriate means to achieve this objective, because they cover many of the policy measures that are needed for the development of global value chains(GVC). The highest quality FTAs are increasingly adding new features like regulatory harmonization that may also foster GVC growth in partner countries. Complementary relationships among markets along value chains, involving both goods and services, also complicate analysis. This is particularly relevant when thinking about policy, since the traditional tendency to think about policies and regulate markets in unconnected silos can lead to unintended and undesirable results. This paper examines the current states of FTAs to determine which are more likely to push this latest wave of globalization further and faster, and explores the plans that are most helpful for GVC growth.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.99-117
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• 2021

Korea's FTA e-commerce regulations are evolving into a standardized norm. However, "location of computing facilities", which was not covered by Korea's existing FTA, was newly established in Korea's first Mega FTA, RCEP. China, a member of RCEP, restricts data movement and requires data localization through its Cybersecurity law. These facts have led to start this study with interest in data-related regulations. It examined country-specific and regulatory characteristics in the process of forming digital trade norms, using the TAPED established by Burri et al. (2020). It also analyzed the current status of introducing norms related to 'data flow', 'data localization' and 'data protection' of the EU, USA and China, which are leading the formation of e-commerce trade norms. Finally, the legal review was conducted to compare the exact meaning of the wording expressed in each agreement for the six recently enacted Mega FTAs and Digital Economic Agreements. These findings are meaningful in that they provided implications for the effectiveness of RCEP and the direction of negotiations on Korea's digital trade norms.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1271-1276
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• 2018

The CPTPP(Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) is a large-scale free trade agreement(FTA) in the Asia-Pacific region involving 11 remaining countries(Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei) since the withdrawal of the US TPP in January 2017, Although the economic size is smaller than the TPP, the CPTPP has 12.9% of the world GDP and 14.9% of the trade volume, meaning that another mega FTA is born. Local economic experts believe that Vietnam's stable economic growth rate and the CPTPP agreement will have a positive impact on Vietnam's stock market and M&A market in 2018. The experts usually expect it will be come into force in 2018 and not later than 2019. The CPTPP is also very likely to enter into force in 2019 with the aggressive attitude of the member countries, simplifying the entry into force of the agreement.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.97-116
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• 2017

This study aims to analyze Vietnam' international commerce policy which is affected Korean's customs policy and fta policy, oda policy to develop diverse commercial cooperation between Korea and Vietnam. commercial cooperation between the two nations accomplished various co-development in vertical specialization of international commerce. Vietnam has exerted intense efforts to ameliorate its commercial environment for becoming WTO member and attracting FDI as next China. Vietnam has become WTO member and Vietnam's system and law relating to international commmerce has been changed for global standard. Vietnam hope to become international commerce leader in ASEAN. so Korea should take diverse efficient measures to assist Vietnam's continuous industrial development and advanced system in international commerce. the two nations should more mutually assist in mega international commerce round negotiation to intensify the two nation's international commerce policy in the international commerce system.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.83-103
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• 2016

This paper examines the characteristics of structural change in the international agro-food trade network with a global trend of the FTA diffusion. By focusing on the centralities and the community structure to identify the agro-food trade network, we use the social network analysis and the trade data contained of 07, 08, 20, and 21 at the 2-digit HS product level among 45 countries over the last 15 years. The main analytical results are as follows: 1) Not only has intra trade network intensified more than inter-regional trade, but also, there is no doubt that inter-regioanl trade by linking has steadily increased. 2) EU countires have the high indices of centrality, which have already been highly integrated. 3) Intraregional agro-food trade network for fresh vegetables and processed food sector in Asia is shown to be strongly integrated. This finding suggests that the processes of economic integration will help strengthen the trade network for agro-food in a culturally homogeneous region. 4) The case of Korea's participation in the RCEP and TPP, Korea's power in the agro-food network tends to be reinforced, especially in the processed food sector. Overall, there is a need for establishment of spatial strategies and policies across the different regions for Mega FTAs.