• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.244-253
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• 2020

This study aimed to assess the factors affecting the level of happiness and a sense of happiness among senior men and women, including sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior, subjective health level, and healthcare utilization, using the 2017 Community Health Survey (CHS). A total of 67,835 older adults were enrolled for the study, 27,979 males and 39,856 females. The results showed that education level and total household income affected the happiness in female elderly, while having a spouse increased happiness in male elderly. In addition, both male elderly and female felt a great of happiness when they had good health behaviors, perceived themselves to be in good health, and had no restrictions with healthcare utilization. Subjective health status and healthcare utilization seem to have a substantial impact on happiness because older adulthood is a period marked with increased physical vulnerability compared to other age groups due to diminished physiological functions. Based on these results, the government should expand subsidies for welfare for the aged to provide lifelong education opportunities and the existing elderly education and programs in health-related organizations should reflect the characteristics of the elderly. Furthermore, social service systems and programs related to the elderly should be re-evaluated so as to develop services and programs tailored to the elderly to promote their happiness more effectively.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.3-21
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• 1992

By localizing the production of core parts and intermediate goods previously imported from Japan, Korean firms have been striving to increase their market share and profit in the final goods market in which Japanese firms are dominating. Korean producers' efforts, however, have often been thwarted by Japanese suppliers' "strategic" behavior. This competitive strategy involves Japanese exporters supplying parts and intermediate goods at very high prices until Korean firms must locally develop them, and then setting the prices far below the previous level so that the profitability of localization is dramatically reduced, or even means a loss for the Korean manufacturer. This paper intends to explain the strategic behavior of Japanese firms through the concepts of strategic interactions and joint economies. Strategic interactions can be aggressive or accommodating depending on whether competitors are dealing with strategic substitutes or complements. Joint economies exist in multi-stage competition when competition in the previous state favorably influences "profits" of the ensuing stage. Competiton between Korean and Japanese firms (a two-stage game involving production and technology rivalries) can be characterized by joint economies and strategic substitutes: joint economies since technological improvement results in more profits in the production stage; and strategic substitutes since an increase in marginal profits of one firm brings about a decrease in marginal profits of the other in a duopolitic production stage. This implies that the flood of "low price" Japense substitutes is an almost "natural" phenomenon in the context of the duopolistic market described in this paper. In the technology competition stage, on the other hand, technology development and technology transfer can be either strategic complements or substitutes. This implies that, in typical comparative static analyses, the effect of changes in exogenous variables cannot be expected a priori. Thus it becomes very difficult to determine the desirability of applying various policy measures such as countervailing duties, R&D subsidies, and creating demand for localized products. For these reasons, it is indeed likely that the measures suggested as means of circumventing the strategic behavior of Japanese firms (and enhancing technological development of Korean firms) may not work.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.97-124
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• 1992

The recent sharp increase in wages has driven many Korean manufacturing firms to move into technology-intensive fields. The task of industrial restructuring is, however, rather difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises (hereafter, "SMEs") which suffer from limited R&D resources. If the R&D activities of SMEs are left unattended, industrial restructuring process may be retarded. Hence, the government-sponsored programs can be justified when used to promote the technological level of SMEs. Because of the limited internal R&D resources of SMEs, in particular human resources, the government-sponsored programs that depend on financial subsidies to stimulate the R&D activities of SMEs may not be recommended. Rather, a more desirable policy is programs to subsidize outside sourcing of SMEs. Basic principles of the program are; (i) that the government should establish R&D laboratories which are specialized in joint researches with SMEs in each industry; (ii) research projects of the laboratories should be funded by SMEs; the government's support covers only fixed costs such as construction costs in order to avoid moral hazard problem. (iii) technology adviser programs sponsored by the government should be improved; geographical distribution is to be expanded and the activities are to be monitored by local governments. Also foreign networks need be strengthened.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.473-483
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• 2011

In the recent WTO/DDA negotiations, discussions are progressing to forbid fishery subsidies which have negative effect on the natural environment and the fishery resources and to lower or to eliminate the tariff/non-tariff barriers that distort trade liberalization. As a result, linking to the weak structural environment of Korea's fishing villages; such a scheme has jeopardized the livelihood of fishermen who settle down in local fishing harbors. Against this backdrop, the government is attempting to positively respond to changes in the fishing environment in a number of different ways: promotion of fishing tourism, fishing harbor reinforcement in function, developing fishing villages, and harbors. With respect to investment by priority in fishing harbor development, it is very important to appropriately select investment targets based on objective criteria. A small number of harbors are chosen and investment plans by harbor are systematically devised, economic feasibility and the effects of investment are analyzed and reviewed in relation to each target harbor. This paper is designed to review and assess objective evaluation methods and the degree of importance for the designation of target harbors, dealing with local harbors in Chung Nam Do as a model. Each local government has tried to reorganize existing harbors and develop new harbors, considering a fall in the number of fishing vessels and the expansion of maritime leisure activities. In order to overcome the limit of existing harbors in function, to raise the income of fishermen, and to activate tourism, they have shifted their focus from simple functions such as vessel evacuation and anchoring to harbor beautification, which can work as a basis for fishing tourism. This paper points out that the AHP analysis method for prioritizing local harbors in Chung Nam Do should help to be chosen target harbors in other cities and provinces. Each local government has attempted to reorganize existing harbors and to develop new harbors, taking into consideration the decline in the number of fishing vessels and the expansion of maritime leisure activities. In order to overcome the limited number of functional harbors, to raise the income of fishermen, and to boost tourism, they have shifted their focus from simple functions, such as vessel evacuation and anchoring, to harbor beautification, which can work as a basis for fishing tourism. This paper shows that the AHP analysis method for prioritizing local harbors in Chungcheongnam-do could aid in the effective selection of target harbors in other cities and provinces.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.57
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• pp.283-303
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• 2013

When a trade conflict arises related to an officially supported export credit programme, The World Trade Organization(WTO), decides on whether the programme is a forbidden subsidy stipulated in the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures(the ASCM Agreement). Korea was taken to the WTO panel two times for the export credit programme. One is the semiconductor case in 2002 and the other was the shipbuilding disputes in 2004. And, In 2012, the U.S. Commerce Department ruled K-SURE's export insurance for Korean refrigerator manufacturers as a forbidden subsidy even if the case was not taken to the WTO. This paper examines the significance of export credit programmes on the WTO ASCM Agreement and discusses how to operate these programmes so they would not infringe upon the Agreement by analyzing the actual cases of WTO subsidy conflicts that involved Korean enterprises in relation to export credit programmes for the purpose of determining the related issues and impacts. From this research the results were as follows: First, on whether export credit is a prohibited subsidy, the deciding factor was whether a benefit has been conferred to the beneficiary. On the presence of a benefit, the WTO panel used market benchmarks as the main criteria. Thus, official export credit agencies(ECAs) should be careful not to provide export credit support which had been granted to the beneficiary at better than market terms. Second, in the case of export credit, the special status of ECA as a public body receiving government support itself does not constitute a subsidy. However, caution must be taken not to provide export credit that may lead to WTO ASCM subsidy conflicts involving a certain exporter or industry by setting up clear and valid regulations and fair work processes in the operation of export credit programmes. Third, item (j) of Annex I cannot be interpreted reversely as this item is for interpreting the presence of a prohibited subsidy, not the presence of a benefit. Thus, an export credit program that confers a financial contribution, a benefit and specificity, could qualify as a prohibited subsidy. Fourth, ECAs not only have to maintain long-term account balance but also introduce additional measures to meet this long-term balance such as a clear and systematic premium system. Finally, export credit programmes that are not defined in item (j) of Annex I of the ASCM Agreement would not deemed as an prohibited export subsidy as long as the continued support of the programmes are not being forced.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.524-537
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• 2017

This study examined the relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics, health related factors, physical functions (ADL, IADL), mental functions (CES-D, MMSE-K), oral health impact profile (OHIP-14), and the quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) for the elderly in long-term care facilities. The research was conducted in 602 facility allowance beneficiaries authorized to be eligible for long-term care in long-term care facilities through personal interviews using a structured questionnaire from May 1 to June 30, 2016. As a result, the quality of life was lower among females than males in the group receiving government subsidies than the group whose livelihood was maintained by themselves or their children, in the group with a longer period of care, in the drinking group than the non-drinking group, in the group with irregular exercise than the regular exercise, in the group with irregular meals than regular meals, in the group with poor subjective health conditions than good subjective health condition, in the group with a smaller number of daily toothbrushing, in the group with xerostomia than no xerostomia, in the group with a lower OHIP-14, in the group with a lower ADL and IADL, and in the group with a lower CES-D and MMSE-K. In particular, the quality of life was affected more by health-related factors and CES-D and MMSE-K than by other factors. Therefore, it is necessary to make efforts to prevent depression and cognitive impairment, including health-related behavior, with the objective of improving the quality of life for the elderly in long-term care facilities.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.82-89
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• 2013

The phase in digital technology expedited low-budget digital film productions in the Korean film industry; hence the international film festivals circuit became the launching pad for Korean directors as they built their reputation and careers around the critical acclaim. Pieta (Kim Ki-Duk)'s Claim on Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2012 would be one of the splendid achievements - the festival is considered to be one of the top the international film festival. However, the increased volume of the low-budget digital film productions are not necessarily proportional to the growth in the quality of the productions. The drawbacks to the production system appeared to be the underlying cause. In attempt to approach the issue, this article explores the production system from 2000 until now. It is illustrated that the value chain model has been transformed from general ones into vertical & horizontal integrated ones. A notable example of successful indie bands-around Hongik university area-, as well the analysis on the low-budget hit productions, especially from the mid-2000's, are introduced as the case studies. The strategies that led the success, such as subsidies policy, the tax benefits on investment firms and production companies, and the aid in international film festival submissions on low-budget digital film productions, are thus examined with further suggestions.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.436-446
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the priorities of innovation activities, business performance, and maximization factors of SMEs. Support programs for each government department are operated by various industries. Various supports, including subsidies, grants, marketing, planning, and education, are provided to each company. Therefore, this study aims to analyze and identify the priorities of innovation activities that have a positive effect on business performance. The efficacy of the proposed model and the psychometric properties of structure were analyzed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The hierarchical structure of corporate innovation activities are composed of 'R&D' and 'government support', and 'Inside R&D, Outsourcing R &D, Consortium R&D'. As a result of analyzing companies that received more than one type of R&D government support, it can be seen that 'government support' (72.1%) is more important than 'research and development' (27.8%). In addition, this study found key sub-factors loadings including Assistant Support (30.1%), Tax Support (22.7%), Funding Support (18.8%), Inside R&D (10.8%), Outsourcing R&D (10.3%), and Consortium R&D (7.2%). Analysis results suggest that the priorities of detailed innovation activities of R&D and government support affect product innovation and process innovation, which in turn, influence business performance and maximization of SMEs. This implies that SMEs who want to participate in the government support project will be helpful in setting the direction of innovation activities. This study also suggests the importance of strategic priorities among the decision elements for CEOs.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.87-95
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• 2017

Purpose - The structural changes of Korean agriculture are complex due to heterogeneous production processes and farms' features. This study analyzed trends of dualism in Korean agriculture over the period 2000-15 based on farm-level data to clarify the specific trends of dualism in terms of farm income, farm-size, and farm operators' age. From the results of this study, we would be able to understand the features of structural changes in Korean agriculture more profoundly. Research design, data, and methodology - We incorporated farm-level data in South Korea: Agricultural census and Farm household economy survey. As measures of inequality, we used size-weighted quantiles, and normalized Gini coefficients as well as mean and conventional quantiles. The size-weighted quantiles are more robust to changes in the number of small farms, but they are more sensitive to changes in the distribution of farm-size. Thus, they would be more useful to identify trends of dualism of Korean agriculture. Results - The results show that the farmland distribution of crop farms became more skewed and dispersed. However, the herd distribution of livestock farms became more concentrated. To be specific, their mean and 1st quantile increases more rapidly than their size-weighted 2nd quantile and size-weighted 3rd quantile. Gini coefficients of livestock farms regarding their herd distribution decreased by 0.1 on average. In the case of income distribution, the results indicate that the polarization regarding farm household/agricultural/non-agricultural income became more severe. However, we also found that the distribution of transfer income became concentrated continuously. The results imply that transfer income including subsidies would decrease farm income polarization. Lastly, during the study periods, Korean farms were aging over time, and age distribution of them more concentrated. Conclusions - The structure of Korean agriculture has been changing, even though the absolute size of it decreased over time. Land (herd) distribution became more dispersed (concentrated). Inequality regarding agricultural income became more severe, and it made farm household income more polarized even though transfer income would decrease income gaps among farms. Lastly, farms continue to age regardless of farm types and this might affect the structural changes in Korean agriculture in the future.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.264-273
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• 2012

This study analyzes the food frequency for the elderly regarding different family types and finds the factors for nutritional risk, offers a basic reference for providing nutritional support for them. The study referred to the dietary behavioral survey data of 3,680 elderly people (1652 male and 2028 female) from 21 regions in the northern Kyeonggi province. The data was collected through the method of one-to-one interviews and was a part of the Community Health Survey for 2008 by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). We classified family types as a household for elderly people living alone, a household of elderly people with a spouse, a household of the elderly with unmarried children and a household of the elderly with married children, and as for intakes of foods, the frequencies of taking fruits, vegetables, kimchi, rice with mixed cereals, meat, fish, bean tofu soymilk, milk and dairy products, as well as sweet beverages are calculated on a daily basis and skipped meals are calculated on a weekly basis. Elderly women showed lower income, lower education level, higher unemployment rates, and a higher rate of government healthcare subsidies than elderly men. Elderly women tend to live alone and with their children while elderly men tend to live with their spouse. In both males and females, the intake of fruits and vegetables were the least in the elderly living alone, while the elderly with married children ate the most. In both males and females, the household of the elderly living alone ate significantly less amounts of Kimchi than other family types. Elderly people living alone tended to have significantly less meat and fish, especially women. In the case of rice with mixed cereals, the elderly men living alone and the elderly men with unmarried children ate significantly less amounts than the elderly men living with a spouse. The elderly men living alone took significantly less milk and dairy products than the elderly men with unmarried children while the elderly women living with a spouse took significantly less milk and dairy products than the elderly women with married children. With regards to the frequency of meal-skipping, the elderly living alone had the highest frequency for skipping meals. From this result, having various foods is difficult for the elderly living alone. Furthermore, the elderly living with unmarried children demonstrated a low quality of dietary life compared to those of married children. Hence, it can be concluded that social support is important in order for the elderly to have a balanced diet.