• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.311-342
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• 2015

We evaluate two main rationales of massive policy intervention of Lee Administration in the Korean transportation fuel market: high market share of domestic refineries, perceived by the Administration as the result of high market concentration, and asymmetry in price adjustment, perceived as the result of collusion. Domestic refineries, huge in capacity and located at seaports, maintain international competitiveness in price. Considering market openness offering preferential treatment to importers, they set domestic prices competitively on the basis of MOPS prices. Yet, the price competitiveness of domestic refineries is so high that they are able to sustain high market share. We confirm that the Korean before-tax consumer prices of gasoline and diesel are lower than Japan's and the weighted averages of 27 EU countries by as much as 159KRW and 21KRW per liter in the case of gasoline and 170KRW and 63KRW in the case of diesel. Price asymmetry is caused by diverse economic and managerial reasons and, as FTC (2005) states, price asymmetry does not immediately imply exercise of market power or collusion. We analyzed price asymmetry in Korea, Japan and 14 EU countries, and found asymmetry in Korea and 11 EU countries in the case of gasoline and in Korea and 8 EU countries in the case of diesel.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.91-102
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• 1979

The basic problem of the broiler industry is that of fluctuating prices, mainly thanks to unstable supply of and inelastic demand for products as usually indicated as a peculiarity of agricultural commodities. This particularly brings the producer to a great economic risk, because he has to sell products under the condition of pure competition, whereas others from whom he has to buy deal under the condition of oligopoly or even monopoly. Therefore, producers economic position is generally placed in the worst comparing others dealing with, which results in unbalanced economic status of elements involved in broiler operation and further obstruction of industry development as a whole. A certain type of business coordination to overcome such a problem should be measured in order to improve the efficiency of entire operation and thus assure the balanced industry development. The concept of the economic integration developed in modern business system had been adapted to U.S. poultry industry which became common later around the world as a means of stabilizing producers price and whole industry as well. There are two main typos of integration; horizontal and vertical The former refers to the general grouping of similar business units, eg. a hatchery tying with other hatchery, while the latter refers to the knitting together of two or more stages of economic activities, eg. tying together among units of hatching, fled milling, production, processing and marketing. By having the industry integrated, risk and uncertainty involved in various stages of operation could be diversified. The typo of integrating contract between producers and integrators include the share of profits, flat fee payment, feed conversion payment and salary basis. In the U.S., extensive changes in production, processing, and marketing during the last few decades have changed the thicken broiler industry from one of small, widely scattered farms to one that is largo, concentrated and efficient. More than 99 percent of all broilers produced are grown under contract and by integrated firms which vary in size of operation and complexity. About 84 percent of all production is concentrated in 10 States. Some of the other factors ;hat contributed to these choses arc costs, energy use, prices, processing, marketing and demand. No integrated broiler production system has yet been applied in Korea's poultry industry, thus all stages all broiler operation run independently seeking for its own profit. Consequently, producers price fluctuate very widely around the year even more than 50 percent in a few months. This also leads to disadvantages of material supplies, processors and distributors and enforce the industry unstable. The current economic environment in Korea seems that the time for broiler integration comes and as an ideal integrator, feed millers, food processors and producers group may be considered.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.121-140
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• 2006

This study has explored a number of problems arising from distribution restrictions and the ways to improve efficiency. As matters stand, since the cooperation between larger stores and local retailers is limited due to the nature of the market, the current situations call for bottom up restrictions such as the active promotion of smaller merchants and traditional marketplaces, the enhancement of the competitiveness of smaller merchants and manufacturers through the establishment of a customized consulting support program for individual shops, and the continual support for traditional marketplaces with facilities and management modernization. The government should maintain the optimal balance between the efficiency and effectiveness of the distribution industry through such bottom up restrictions as shown above, rather than the top down restrictions primarily relying on the hurdles to the establishment of stores. The problems raised in this study include: (i) the decline of traditional marketplaces and the alleged over saturation of stores; (ii) the possible abuse of indiscreet restrictive measures; (iii) the harmful effects of the monopoly or oligopoly by larger distributors; and (iv) the lack of systematic programs to promote development. The ways to improve efficiency are: (i) the establishment of the policies to specialize and nurture traditional marketplaces; (ii) the effort to prevent the injury arising from monopoly; (iii) the two tire strategies for the coexistence of larger and smaller businesses; and (iv) the administration of joint sales promotion and training.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.121-146
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the structure and characteristics of the utilization support systems(USS), which has been institutionalized to aid the use of social welfare services in Japan's social welfare systems recently. In order to conduct such purposes, this paper made the process as follows. Firstly, this paper examined the developmental processes of social welfare systems, and the back ground of institutionalization of USS in Japan. Secondly, this paper formulated at ideal dimension the analytic model which was to explain the structure and characteristics of the USS. To build this model, this paper used two factors which were the connective dependency to the welfare support systems and the feasible-satisfying alternative setting for user. Thirdly, this paper analyzed the characteristics of the user-driven support facilities which has already activated in social welfare systems in Japan. According to the result of analyzing such model, this paper explained that USS in Japan has possessed the structure and characteristics, such as to aid self actualization and human right of user, to compose the inner coalition organization with supply systems, to emphasize the employee to train care management's skill, and to keep up bounded openness to USS's participation. Therefore, oligopoly market is formulated owing to bounded openness in the field of USS and the role of social worker such as a care manager is emphasized on making care plan.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.37-60
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• 2010

Department Stores have been in place as typical large-scale retailer in Korean retail market. After Asian financial crisis in 1997, the market share of major three department stores has been increased and they have had a dominant position in relationship with vendors or manufacturers. Thus, they are able to control sales commission. Sales commission is defined as things that department stores which contribute to products sales instead of manufacturers take some portion of price as their revenue. In other words, vendors or manufacturers pay some amount of money from their sales by contracted ratio to department stores. The problem is that vendors or manufacturers think that sales commission is high. However, department stores have a different opinion that sales commission is not high because they generate new value from gathering customers and doing marketing activity on behalf of vendors or manufacturers. Because department stores have operated with business model of renting sales space to vendors or manufacturers instead of buying goods directly from them, this situation has been taken place. The revenue of department stores depend on sales commission. Thus, they want to get a dominant power to control sales commission in relationship with vendors or manufacturers. So, they have tried to increase their size and brand power. The considered policies related in sales commission of department stores are as following: preventing monopoly or oligopoly of department store, being strength of monitoring for department stores' unfair trade, strict enforcement of law for large-scale retailer's unfair trade, and inducing win-win strategy doing voluntarily by department stores.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.56
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• pp.71-85
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• 2011

This thesis reviews the process in which the regulation systems against ownership concentration of newspapers established with the opportunity of legislation of the periodical act in 1987 was reinforced as they were all amended to the newspaper act in 2005 and as they were again amended in 2009 it came to confront crisis in the aspect of press law legislation history. The regulation systems against ownership concentration of newspapers established based on the principle of legality of newspaper function in the Clause 3, the Article 21 of Constitution was reinforced as the newspaper act in 2005 and in 2006 they began to shrink following the Constitution Court decision against newspaper act. As newspaper act and broadcast act are revised in 2009, regulation against combining the management of newspapers with broadcast and regulation against owning multiple number of newspapers came not to exist. Because in this process, the opposition party also allowed limited cross-ownership of newspaper and broadcast, it can be said that the system of newspaper ownership regulation confronted the crisis of dissolution. The instruction of regulation alleviation in a short period of time in spite of the fact that regulation alleviation which allows cross-ownership of newspaper and broadcast is the matter of policy that should be decided after long-term review of the change of media environment and the progress of the power of domination of public opinion is dangerous. Newspapers are strong media with terrestrial broadcast in formation of public opinion on politics. It's because it is difficult to ignore the worry that the power of domination of public opinion of the newspapers which are in oligopoly of newspaper public opinion market can be spreaded to the territory of report broadcast. From the point of view that there is probability for democracy to be ultimately threatened due to the shrink of political Darwinism caused by concentration of media ownership, the alleviation of ownership concentration of newspapers should have premise of long-term social discussion.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.18
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• pp.269-303
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• 2002

This article presents a historical account of media role in the transition and consolidation period of democracy. Despite the assumption that media plays a important role in the construction of democracy, it is less clear how the media can affect the process of political change itself. This article seeks to answer some of these question, based on the Mill's macro-social comparative 'method of difference' of Korea and Spain. It is widely agreed that both states achieve democracy through transaction from above(pacts). Media role, however, differs significantly in accordance with authoritarian legacies and civic representativeness of the pacts. Whereas Korean dailies is deepening given market oligopoly and prior practices after democratization, Spain dailies market entirely changed in both structural and spiritual respects. As a result, Korean dailies substantially lacks in civic representativeness as before, contrary to Spain. Spain television settled a sort of the external pluralism. Korean television is pursuing the BBC type of internal pluralism. In Korea, television is more commercial than Spain. Consequently, Spain media serve the consolidation of democracy more than Korea on the whole.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.351-358
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• 2022

This study analyzed changes in the market concentration of Korean ocean-going shipping companies using shipping revenue based CR (Concentration Ratio), and HHI (Herfindahl - Hirschman Index) to examine the effects of the government's selection and concentration based the shipping reconstruction scheme. The results of this study showed that the market structure of the Korean shipping industry has changed from a competitive market to a rather concentrated market, as CR as well as HHI values have increased from 2019 to 2021. In particular, the market share of the deep-sea shipping lines has risen significantly compared to the intra-Asian short-sea shipping lines and the tramp carriers, implying that the Korean liner shipping market has become a monopoly, or highly concentrated oligopoly market. Compared to other shipping markets, the high rise in ocean freight rates (i.e. Asia-Europe America) was the leading cause of the increase in the revenues of the ocean-going shipping lines, and the increased fleet through preemptive government support has enabled them to achieve more revenues. As a result, it can be interpreted that the government's fleet expansion strategy has been more effective than expected, but it is too early to conclude if the market structure of the Korean ocean-going shipping companies has been strengthened.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.97-114
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• 2013

The 6th Worldwide Air Transport Conference was held in Montreal in March 2013 under the auspices of ICAO. This conference, which has been held every ten years, is dealing with virtually every issue of international air transport, and aiming at updating ICAO policy in order to ensure long-term growth of international civil aviation. Last conference which took place in 2003 focused on the liberalization of air transport, and the 6th conference shifted its focus from whether to push for liberalization, to how to implement it. The main agenda items for the 6th conference was liberalization, safeguards, ownership, fair competition, airports and air navigation facilities, charges, and ICAO policy. The liberalization, and in particular progressive liberalization has been a main theme over the past decades. In the process leading to liberalization, there needs to be the expansion of market access, easing regulation on ownership and control of airlines. Furthermore, the provision of enough infrastructure such as airport and air navigation facilities may be contributing factor to remove impediments to liberalization. However, out of concern as for undermining interests of consumer and the weak, when liberalization is proceeding in a sudden and radical manner, there should be safeguards so as to ensure market participation by developing countries, consumer protection, and economical and transparent decision on taxes and charges. Fair competition which differs from promoting competition in the market, is a policy in order to protect the weak players and consumers from monopoly and oligopoly. The Korean delegation submitted 3 WPs (WP/85, 86 and 87) and 1 IP, and presented WPs, at the conference, which were a lot compared with previous occasions. A paradigm shift was emphasized to expedite the process of liberalization at the 6th conference. The reality is that with many previous recommendations to stress the importance of liberalization, and to urge States to change their attitudes, the pace of the liberalization has been very slow and staggering. The liberalization of air transport will contribute to the growth of air transport and related industry, to create new employment, promoting tourism and regional development, and further to facilitating mutual understanding and exchange, which will also lead to making a barrier-free world. In this context, it is expected that the next conference will also evaluate the on-going process of liberalization.

• Korean small business review
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.209-223
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• 2010

Korea's business is composed of a few large-sized enterprises (which can be abbreviated as LSE) and a majority of small-sized enterprises (SSE). Although there has been a growing recognition of the need for the development of medium-sized enterprises (MSE) which can serve as a link between SSE and LSE, as yet there has not yet been a consensus on the definition, characteristics and the function of the MSE in Korea. Nowadays, the world is being globalized, and Japan and China are in competition to ne a great economic power. While East Asia is experiencing rapid changes, promoting MSE which can secure flexibility and efficiency through covering up the limitation of LSE and SSE is needed in order to respond the global market which is being specialized. The features of MSE in Japan can be listed as follows. First, the MSE in Japan is developing the company through getting into niche markets which are hard for major companies to enter rather than developing markets in order to compete against major companies directly. While MSEs are endeavoring to build the business firmly in the domestic market, they can possess special and competitive technical skills through trials and errors; so that they can get a chance develop their business through independent business system rather than putting their effort to compete against major companies. Second, from the MSEs with competitive edge in the market, there are many contributions to the national exportation. Those MSEs produce in domestic and maintain the quality of high price products which need cutting-edge technology, while they relocate the low and middle priced goods to the country where manufacturing costs are low, so that they can maintain the price competitiveness. Third, the industrial structure in Japan is formed from dual structure between major companies and small sized companies. In other words, in Japan's industrial structure which are composed of subcontract structure, this dual structure has taken a major role of small sized companies' growth and manufacturing businesses' international competitive power. Forth, MSE in Japan adopt a strategy of putting their value on qualitative scale growth rather than quantitative scale growth. In this paper, the case of Japanese MSE is analyzed. Along with its long history of Industrialization, Japan has a corporate environment where the SSEs can develop as a MSE and later a LSE through a full-support system. Among its SSEs, there are a number of world class corporations equipped with a large domestic market, win-win cooperation with the LSEs and an independent technology development. It can also be observed that these SSEs develop into MSEs with sustainable growth potentials. This study will focus on the condition under which the MSEs of Japan have been developed, and how they have survived the competition between SSEs and LSEs. Through this study, this paper attempts to offer solutions to Korea's polarization between the SSE and LSE, while providing the basis for SSEs revitalization. In general, if both extremities phenomenon deepen between LSE and SSE, there are possible fears of occurring disutility in national economy by the monopolization of LSE. For that reason, enterprise group, which can make SSE or MSE compete LSE in some area and ease the monopoly and oligopoly problem, is needed. This awareness has been shared for ages long. Nevertheless, there is no legal definition for MSE in Japan, and there is no definition about the enterprise size or unified view of MSE between scholars, but it is defined differently by each of academical person or research institution and study meeting. For that reason, this paper will organize the definition of MSE in Japan, and then will propose the characteristics of the background which has made MSE secure competitiveness and sustainable growth in global market. This study focus on that because through this process, the positive change to the awareness of MSE can be proposed in Korea and to seek the policy direction for building institutional framework which can make SSE become MES. Through this way, the fundamentals for SSE to become MSE can be managed and some appropriate suggestions which will be able to make MSE enter the global market in the future can also be proposed. Due to these facts, this study is very important and well timed task. In a sense of this way, this study will examine the definition and role of MSE in Japan. after this examination, this study will deal with the status, special feature, and promotion policy for MSE. Through this analysis of MSE in Japan, the foundation which be able to set the desirable role model for MSE in Korea can be proposed. Also, the political implication which is needed to push ahead to contribute to creating employment and economic growth through sustainable growth of MSEs in economic system of Korea can be offered through this study. It has been found that Japan's MSE functions as an indispensable link among various industrial structures by holding a significant position in employment rate, production and value added. Although the MSEs took up less than 1% of the entire number of businesses with 2700 manufacturing firms and 7000 non-manufacturing firms, its employment ratios are about 15%, while taking about 25% of the manufacturing industry's exports. In industries such as machinery and electronics which is considered Japan's major industry, the MSEs showed a higher than average ratio of manufacturing exports and employment rate. It can be analyzed that behind Japan's advantageous industries, close and deeply knit MSEs exist. Although there are no clearly stated policies geared towards the MSEs by the Japanese government, various political measures exist such as the R&D Project and the inducement of cooperation between enterprises which gives room for MSEs to participate in the SSE policies. In relation to these findings, the following practical measures can be considered in order to revitalize Korea's MSEs: First, there is a need for a legal definition of MSE and the incentives to provide legal support for its growth. Second, if a law to support the MSEs is established, it could provide a powerful inducement for the SSE to grow as a MSE, rather than stay as a SSE. Third, there is a need for a strategy of MSEs to establish a stable base in the domestic market and then advance to the global market with the accumulated trial and error and competitiveness. Fourth, the SSE themselves need the spirit of entrepreneurship in order to make the leap to a MSE. Because if nothing is to be changed about the system on the firms that grew, and the parts of the past custom was left to be managed alone, confusion and absence of management can take place. No matter how much tax favors the government will give and no matter how much incentive there could be through the policies, there are limits for industries to higher the ability to propagate. And because of that it is a period where industries need their own innovative skills to reform their firms.