• Information Systems Review
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.41-54
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• 2022

Despite the recent rapid advancement of science and technology, we have been experiencing the decline in productivity since the 2000s. This study aims to investigate the decline at both industry and firm levels, by looking at the emergence and growth of large firms such as Amazon, Alphabet, and Apple and M&A trends. Following the results of previous studies, our results show that productivity at industry level has decreased since the 2000s. Particularly, in the period after 2011, the deterioration of allocative efficiency due to the large firms and the decline in the growth rate of surviving firms in the industry with low ratio of large firms contributed to the productivity decline. On the other hand, our analysis at firm level demonstrates that the productivity of firms that acquired IT firms improved over the entire period. While M&As have a positive impact on productivity, M&As with a demand-side motive such as market penetration and expansion of channels have a relatively larger impact than the ones for production or operation efficiency. Our results also suggest that the higher the proportion of large firms in a specific industry, the lower the productivity of individual firms in the same industry. Overall, given that the industry's structural changes for digital transformation tends to strengthen the growth of large firms, our findings have significant implications by empirically identifying the relationships of the emergence of large firms, the acquisition of IT/Non-IT firms, and motivations for M&As to firm/industry productivity.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.334-367
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• 2017

The ICT industry has been the main driver of Korea's economy with international competitiveness and is expected to be the growth engine that will revitalize the currently depressed economy. A broad range of different perspectives and opinions on the industry exist in Korea and overseas. Some of these are stereotypes, not all of which are based on objective evidence. Stereotypes refer to widely-held fixed opinions on a specific group and do not necessarily have negative connotations. However, they should not be viewed lightly because they can substantially affect decision-making process. In this regard, this study sought to review the stereotypes of ICT industry and identify objective and relative stereotypes. In the study, a decision-tree analysis was conducted on a survey result of 3,300 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in order to identify Korean ICT companies' characteristics that distinguish them from other technology companies. The decision-tree analysis, a data mining process based on machine learning, took a total of 291 variables into account in 10 subjects such as: corporate business in general, technology development activities as well as organization and people in technology development. Identifying the variables that distinguish ICT companies from other technology companies with the decision-tree analysis, the study then came up with a list of objective stereotypes of ICT companies. The findings from the stereotypes of Korean ICT companies are as follows. First, the companies are in need of technology policies that help R&D planning and market penetration. Second, policies must better support the companies working to sell new products or explore new business. Third, the companies need policies that support secure protection of development outcomes and proper management of IP rights. Fourth, the administrative procedures related to governmental support for ICT companies' R&D projects must be simplified. It is hoped that the outcome of this study will provide meaningful guidance in establishment, implementation and evaluation of technology policies for ICT SMEs, particularly to policymakers or researchers in relevant government agencies who determine R&D policies for ICT SMEs.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.226-245
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• 2019

Beopjusa Gwaebultaeng (Large Buddhist Painting), designated as Treasure No. 1259, was painted in 1766 and featured Yeorae (Buddha) at the center in the style of a single figure. It is the longest existing buddhist painting and was created by Duhun, a painter who was representative of 18th century Korean artists. His other remaining work is Seokgayeorae Gwaebultaeng (1767) in Tongdosa Temple. Considering their same iconography, they are assumed to have used the same underdrawing. Duhun had a superb ability to maintain a consistent underdrawing, while most painters changed theirs within a year. The Beopjusa painting carries significance because it was not only painted earlier than the one in Tongdosa, but also indicates possible relevance to the royal family through its records. Beopjusa Temple is also the site of Seonhuigung Wondang, a shrine housing the spirit tablet of Lady Yi Youngbin, also known as Lady Seonhui. Having been built only a year before Beopjusa Gwaebultaeng was painted, it served as a basis for the presumption that it has a connection to the royal family. In particular, a group of unmarried women is noticeable in the record of Beopjusa painting. The names of some people, including Ms. Lee, born in the year of Gyengjin, are recorded on the Bonginsa Temple Building, the construction of which Lady Yi Youngbin and Princess Hwawan donated money to. In this regard, they are probably court ladies related to Lady Yi Youngbin. The connection of Beopjusa Gwaebultaeng with the royal family is also verified by a prayer at the bottom of the painting, reading "JusangJusamJeonhaSumanse (主上主三殿下壽萬歲, May the king live forever)." While looking into the historical characteristics of this art, this study took an approach based on scientific analysis. Damages to Beopjusa Gwaebultaeng include: bending, folding, wrinkles, stains due to moisture, pigment spalling, point-shaped pigment spalling, and pigment penetration to the lining paper at the back. According to the results of an analysis of the painting pigments, white lead was used as a white pigment, while an ink stick and indigo were used for black. For red, cinnabar and minium were used independently or were combined. For purple, organic pigments seem to have been used. For yellow, white lead and gamboge were mixed, or gamboge was painted over white lead, and gold foil was adopted for storage. As a green pigment, atacamite or a mixture of atacamite and malachite was used. Azurite and smalt were used separately or together as blue pigments.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.21-35
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• 2022

With the support of local and central governments, various incentive policies for "green" cars have been established, and the number of electric vehicle users has been rapidly increasing in recent years. As a result, much attention is being given to establishing a user-centered charging infrastructure. A standard for the number of electric vehicle chargers to be supplied is being prepared based on building characteristics, but there is quite limited research on the appropriate ratio of slow and fast chargers based on the characteristics of each place. Therefore, this study derived an appropriate penetration ratio based on data about the distribution ratio of common slow chargers. These data were collected using a survey of actual electric vehicle users. Next, an analysis was done on how to categorize the needs of charging environments and to determine what criteria or characteristics to use for categorization. Based on the results of the survey analysis, three types of places were derived. Type-1 places require 10% of chargers to be slow chargers, Type-2 places require 40-60% of chargers to be slow chargers (i.e., around equal distribution of slow and fast chargers), and Type-3 places require more than 80% of chargers to be slow chargers. The required levels of slow chargers were classified by place type and by individual using latent class cluster analysis, which made it possible to categorize them into five clusters related to socioeconomic variables, vehicle characteristics, traffic, and charging behaviors. It was found that there was a high correlation between charging behavior, weekend travel behavior, gender, and income. The results and insights from this study could be used to establish charging infrastructure policies in the future and to prepare standards for supplying charging infrastructure according to changes in the electric vehicle market.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.238-252
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• 2015

The effect of weir construction (2009~2011) was investigated on algal bloom dynamics and surrounding conditions in the Youngsan River by analyzing the long-term (2001~2014) data provided by the Water Information System, Ministry of Environment. The data include chlorophyll a and water properties such as total suspended solids (TSS), ammonium ($NH_4{^+}$), nitrate ($NO_3{^-}$), orthophosphate ($PO{_4}^{3-}$), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and DIN/DIP molar ratio collected from 12 stations along the channel of the river. Temporal variations were examined using data collected monthly from 2001~2014 and Box-Whisker plot was used to examine the difference in algal bloom dynamics between before (2006~2008) and after (2012~2014) the weir construction. Pearson's correlation analysis was also used to analyze the correlation of parameters. The results showed that TSS affecting water turbidity increased during the construction but decreased especially at the stations located in the upper and middle regions of the river after the construction. Ammonium concentrations increased whereas the concentrations of other nutrients decreased after the construction inducing an increase in N:P molar ratio. Chlorophyll a decreased suddenly during the construction but increased clearly after the construction at the stations where TSS decreased. This indicates that algal blooms can develop in the Youngsan River due to a decrease in turbidity that increases light penetration in water column although the concentrations of nutrients such as orthophosphate were reduced after the weir construction.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.306-333
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• 2010

Previous studies on Wolseong fortress have focused on capital system of Silla Dynasty and on the recreation of Wolseong fortress due to the excavations in and around Wolseong moat. Since the report on the Geographical Survey of Wolseong fortress was published and GPR survey in Wolseong fortress was executed as a trial test in 2004, the academic interest in the site has now expanded to the inside of the fortress. From such context, the preliminary research on the fortress including geophysical survey had been commenced. GPR survey had been conducted for a year from March, 2007. The principal purpose of the recent 3D GPR survey was to provide visualization of subsurface images of the entire Wolseong fortress area. In order to obtain 3D GPR data, dense profile lines were laid in grid-form. The total area surveyed was $112,535m^2$. Depth slice was applied to analyse each level to examine how the layers of the remains had changed and overlapped over time. In addition, slice overlay analysis methodology was used to gather reflects of each depth on a single map. Isolated surface visualization, which is one of 3D analysis methods, was also employed to gain more in-depth understanding and more accurate interpretations of the remain The GPR survey has confirmed that there are building sites whose archaeological features can be classified into 14 different groups. Three interesting areas with huge public building arrangement have been found in Zone 2 in the far west, Zone 9 in the middle, and Zone 14 in the far east. It is recognized that such areas must had been used for important public functions. This research has displayed that 3D GPR survey can be effective for a vast area of archaeological remains and that slice overlay images can provide clearer image with high contrast for objects and remains buried the site.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.23-33
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• 2021

In Korea, many reservoirs have been built for the purpose of solving the food shortage problem and supplying agricultural water. However, the current 75.6% of the reservoirs are in serious aged as more than 50 years have passed since the year of construction. In the case of such an aging reservoir, the stability due to scour and erosion inside the reservoir is very reduced, and if concentrated rainfall due to recent abnormal weather occurs, the aging reservoir may collapse, leading to a lot of damage to property and human life. Accordingly, each agency that manages aging reservoirs uses Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) as an injection material and applies the grouting method. However, in the case of OPC, it may deteriorate over time and water leakage may occur again. And there are environmental problems such as consumption of natural resources and generation of greenhouse gases. So, there is a need to develop new materials and methods that can replace the OPC. In this study, an laboratory test and analysis were performed on the grout material developed to induce a curing reaction similar to that of OPC by recycling power plant byproduct. In addition, test in the field such as electric resistivity survey, Standard Penetration Test (SPT), and field permeability test were performed to analyzed to reinforcement effect and determine the possibility of using instead of OPC. As a results of the test, in the case of recycled power plant byproduct, the compressive strength was 2.9 to 3.2 times and the deformation modulus was 2.3 to 3.3 times higher, indicating that it is excellent in strength and can be used instead of OPC. And it was analyzed that the N value of the reservoir was increased by 1~2, and the coefficient of permeability (k) decreased to the level of 8.9~42.5%. showing sufficient reinforcing effect in terms of order.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.204-212
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• 2022

The LID technique began to be applied in Korea after 2009, and LID facilities are installed and operated for rainwater management in business districts such as the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and LH Corporation, public institutions, commercial land, housing, parks, and schools. However, looking at domestic cases, the application cases and operation periods are insufficient compared to those outside the country, so appropriate design standards and measures for operation and maintenance are insufficient. In particular, LID facilities constructed using LID techniques need to maintain the environment inside LID facilities because hydrological and environmental effects are expressed by material circulation and energy flow. The LID facility is designed with the treatment capacity planned for the water circulation target, and the proper maintenance, vegetation, and soil conditions are periodically identified, and the efficiency is maintained as much as possible. In other words, the soil created in LID is a very important design element because LID facilities are expected to have effects such as water pollution reduction, flood reduction, water resource acquisition, and temperature reduction while increasing water storage and penetration capacity through water circulation construction. In order to maintain and manage the functions of LID facilities accurately, the current state of the facilities and the cycle of replacement and maintenance should be accurately known through various quantitative data such as soil contamination, snow removal effects, and vegetation criteria. This study was conducted to investigate the current status of LID facilities installed in Korea from 2009 to 2020, and analyze soil changes through the continuity and current status of LID facilities applied over the past 10 years after collecting soil samples from the soil layer. Through analysis of Saturn, organic matter, hardness, water contents, pH, electrical conductivity, and salt, some vegetation-type LID facilities more than 5 to 7 years after construction showed results corresponding to the lower grade of landscape design. Facilities below the lower level can be recognized as a point of time when maintenance is necessary in a state that may cause problems in soil permeability and vegetation growth. Accordingly, it was found that LID facilities should be managed through soil replacement and replacement.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.5-9
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• 2014

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the applicability and effectiveness of both teukyakmeip contracts of Korea and consignment contracts of the United State to demonstrate the effectiveness and practicability of teukyakmeip in Korea. These are popular contract agreements between large retailers and their suppliers and vendors. In recent years, teukyakmeip was critically examined and scrutinized by the politicians, the media, and the public of Korea. Consequently, this paper focusesheavily on identifying and analyzing different types of contract agreements between large retailers and their suppliers that currently exist in Korea and compares and contrasts those analyzed contract agreements with teukyakmeip. The article also comparesand contrasts teukyakmeip with the consignment agreements of the United States to identify similarities and differences. Research design, data, and methodology - This study is a descriptive study and has used personal interviews to collect and analyze the data. This study also fits the definition of the case study wherein it is entirely focused on investigating a real-life event: analyzing and examining contract agreements in the distribution industry. Both randomly selected management and vendor representatives from the three major department stores, Lotte, Hyundai, and Shinsegae, in Korea were interviewed between July and September 2013. The analysis of the consignment agreement was conducted based on existing secondary data. Results - Although the evidence of the abuse of teukyakmeip and consignment by large retailers from both countries clearly exists, the findings suggestthat both contract agreements would remain as the most relevant and effective legal contracts between large retailers and their suppliers. Based on the comparisonanalysis of teukyakmeip and consignment, both contracts indicated that suppliers are fully responsible for inventory and inventory management. If sales person is necessary for promoting special product, then suppliers are responsible for providing a sales person and their wages under both contracts. However, American department stores, those located outside urban area, tend to use their own employees to perform special product and sales promotion. The retailersare fully responsible for any interior or floor design or redesign of the retail store to accommodate the products from vendors under consignment; however, both suppliers and retailers share the cost of designing and redesigning the interior to accommodate vendors'products under teukyakmeip. Suppliers are responsible for pricing and supplying the quantity of the products under both agreements. Both contracts allow special sales commission as long as vendors agreed. Vendors use this special commissionto introduce their new products or apply market penetration strategy. Conclusions -The findings of this study showed the changing pattern of contract agreements between large retailers and their suppliers from both countries. Furthermore, this study evidently generated policy implications of teukyakmeip which recently became the major social issue in Korea and attracted many policymakers to gain political points by criticizing the teukyakmeip system and the large retailers. The findings of the study would be valuable to policy makers in making appropriate decisions and to large retailers and vendors in making beneficial agreements. The major implication of this study is that teukyakmeip and consignment agreements include very similar or almost identical characteristics, and they are popular among department stores and suppliers. The issue of abolishing teukyakmeip in Korea needs to be examined cautiously because teukyakmeip is the best one available at the moment, and the study suggests that no one benefits from abolishing this system.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.559-571
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• 2017

This study was conducted to determine the adhesive performances of plywoods affected by layering direction and the amounts of thermoplastic films. The face and back layers of veneer were hardwood species (Mixed light hardwood) and core layer veneer was radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don). Thermoplastic film used as adhesive were polypropylene (PP) film and polyethylene (PE) film. Thermal analysis and tensile strength were investigated on each films. As a result, the melting temperature of PP and PE films were $163.4^{\circ}C$ and $109.7^{\circ}C$, respectively, and the crystallization temperature were $98.9^{\circ}C$ and $93.6^{\circ}C$, respectively. Tensile strength and elongation of each films appeared higher on the width direction than length direction. Considering the characteristics of the thermoplastic films, the test for the amount of film used was carried out by layering film to the target thickness on veneer. The effecting of layering direction of film on plywood manufacturing was conducted by laminating in the length and width directions of the film according to the grain direction of veneer. Tensile-shear strength of plywood in wet condition was satisfied with the quality standard (0.7 MPa) of KS F 3101 when the film was used over 0.05 mm of PP film and over 0.10 mm of PE film. Tensile-shear strength of plywood after cyclic boiling exceeded the KS standard when PP film was used 0.20 mm thickness. Furthermore, higher bonding strength was observed on a plywood made with width direction of film according to grain direction of veneer than that of length direction of film. Based on microscopic analysis of the surface and bonding line of plywood, interlocking between veneers by penetration of a thermoplastic film into inner and cracks were observed.