• International Area Studies Review
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.217-239
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• 2008

The purpose of this paper examines the way the potential for increased procyclicality may arise in Korea according to the introduction of Basel II based on the empirical results of U.K. and Spain. Because of the limited retail banking data, the correlations between risk-weighted assets corresponding to the denominator of the capital ratio and procyclicality, and capital ratio and the procyclicality are analyzed in Korea. As a result, there is a high possibility that the procyclicality may occur in Korea. However, there are limitations in judging the existence of the procyclicality for the capital in Korea only based on those correlations. In the future, in case more of retail banking data are accumulated, the procyclicality in Korea should be examined based on the systematic model like the cases in England and Spain. Lastly, the policy implications are derived based on the calculation process of the regulatory capital(Pillar I), the process of the Financial Authorities(Pillar II), and the market discipline(Pillar III).

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.177-196
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• 2007

This paper investigates the cyclical patterns of buffer capital using an unbalanced panel data for the banks in 30 OECD countries and 7 non-OECD Asian countries. We test whether the relationships between buffer capital and business cycle are systematically different across country groups controlling for other potential determinants of bank capital. We find that the correlation is positive for developed countries while it is negative for Asian developing countries. These findings suggest that, once Basel II is implemented, developing countries are more likely to observe an increase in output volatility. We then review the policy recommendations to mitigate the procyclicality problem of Basel II.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.239-261
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• 2011

The cyclicality of productivity has been one of the essential issues in macroeconomics. Since Solow(1957) developed the dominant approach to the measurement of productivity growth, Solow's approach, which assumes the perfect competition, the constant returns to scale, and the full use of input factor has been modified particularly in Hall's(1990) and Basu's(1996) works. Their researches take account of market power, returns to scale, and variable factor utilization. This paper establishes the empirical model based on Hall's(1990) and Basu's(1996) models, estimates 4 types of Solow's reidual in manufacturing and 2 service industries over the period 1975:1-2010:4, and analyzes the cyclicality of measured productivity. The result proved the measured productivity to be procyclical in manufacturing industries and electricity and water industry, and in contrast to the Basu's, the variable factor utilization transformed the countercyclicality of measured productivity into its procyclicality in the Korean economy.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.97-129
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• 2006

This study investigates whether dynamic loan loss provisioning is necessary in Korean banking environments. Under the dynamic provisioning rule banks are required to accumulate additional reserves to general and specific provisionings in preparation for expected loan losses until maturity. This provisioning is most effective in the case that banks tend to recognize less loan losses in the business upturns and/or in the periods of increasing profits. The empirical study, however, shows that banks support procyclicality of loan loss privisioning and earning smoothing behavior over profit fluctuations. These findings suggest that Korea would not seriously need the introduction of dynamic loan loss provisioning. But this policy implication does not seem robust in view that the recent experience shows the countercyclicality of loan loss provisioning practices and negative correlation between earnings and provisioning after financial restructuring was completed. This result is partly attributable to vigorous shareholder activism because of high foreign ownership of most commercial banks. Once it is true that bank management is more interested in short-term performances, current loan loss provisioning would have attributes of impairing capital adequacy, hence strengthening loan loss provisiong requirements.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-27
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• 2012

This paper attempts to define, construct a policy framework, and analyze interactions with monetary policy of macroprudential policy. The available pieces of evidence suggest that the effects of the LTV and DTI regulations for financial stability are rather unclear in Korea. It also shows that when financial markets exhibit instability in a stable inflationary environment, macroprudential policy could run into conflict with monetary policy. This paper proposes an appropriate modality of macroprudential policy to minimize the potential conflict with monetary policy.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.1-47
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• 2014

Longitudinal analysis of individual wage data received from the Korea Labor and Income Panel Survey (KLIPS) for the 1998-2012 period reveals that nominal wage reductions are prevailing among job stayers. It is also found that the probability of nominal wage cut is higher in the period of lower inflation or higher unemployment, and affected by various individual or group characteristics. Additional analysis of two establishment-based average wage series and the KLIPS shows that real wages are substantially procyclical, which is attributed to the strong procyclicality of nominal wages rather than countercyclicality of inflation. Current findings defy wage-rigidity-based explanations of unemployment fluctuations or models that predict wage rigidity, inlcluding segmented labor market hypotheses.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-32
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• 2002

This paper investigates how real wages adjust to regional and cyclical shocks in the Korean labor market. Major findings are as follows. First, like most longitudinal studies in this literature, we find that real wages are strongly procyclical and more procyclical for men than for women. Second, consistent with the theory prediction of efficiency wages, both permanent and transitory components of real wages are negatively correlated with the local unemployment rate. Third, when overall and local unemployment rates compete in a wage equation (our preferred specification), current wages are dominantly affected by the overall rate, and the effect of the local rate is rather small. This rejects the Blanchflower and Oswald's hypothesis that wages are primarily determined by local labor market conditions. Finally, no lagged effects on wages are detected in the overall or local unemployment rate.