• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.34-44
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• 2019

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to present what the port of Pyeongtaek, the hub of Korean trade with China, should improve in the current situation, wherein the e-commerce trade volume between Korea and China is increasing due to the development of online technology. Design/methodology - In this study, through prior research and expert interviews on e-commerce and port activation between borders, we derived the main improvement factors for 1) Administration and Systems, 2) Facilities, 3) Transport, and 4) Manpower, and selected 12 detailed variables for the major improvement factors. To identify the relative importance of the major improvement factors, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was applied, and a survey was conducted among 15 related experts. Findings - As a result, among the 12 detailed variables, Composition of Association (0.267) was the first factor to be improved, followed by Incentive Support (0.143) and E-Commerce Cluster (0.131). Based on these analyses, the main implications of this study are, first, in the current situation where the cross-border e-commerce market is growing, Pyeongtaek Port needs to form a consultative body among the government, local governments, and related businesses in connection with cross-border e-commerce and develop various support policies for the e-commerce market. Second, it will have to be able to provide differentiated services from competing ports by establishing e-commerce market-oriented clusters. Originality/value - In existing related studies, various improvements were presented to revitalize trade in line with the growth of the cross-border e-commerce market. However, with regard to most cross-border e-commerce businesses, one-dimensional improvement measures, such as improvement of payment systems, improvement of customs clearance services, and promotion of human resources, are presented in a piecemeal manner. In other words, none of the studies have proposed the importance and priority of each measure in terms of both the forward-looking and efficient allocation of resources, which is the purpose of this study. Therefore, this study contributed politically, practically, and academically by presenting countermeasures for ports to revitalize cross-border e-commerce and presenting strategic priorities using quantitative analysis methods.

• Journal of Information Technology and Architecture
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.333-345
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• 2014

Knowledge management system (KMS) is an information system that helps an organization manage its knowledge assets effectively as well as maximize their values within the organization. In engineering fields, because the expertise and know-how of experts are so critical, KMS can play an important role to store and share the experts' knowledge within the organization. This paper adopts an object-oriented approach to analyze and design an engineering knowledge management system required to manage and share engineering knowledge effectively. A field study is conducted against construction and automobile engineers to draw critical success factors to successfully implement and adopt an engineering KMS and based on this study, the engineering KMS has been analyzed and designed. Also, this paper proposed a flexible system architecture that can be applied to various engineering fields.

• 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.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.39
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• pp.143-175
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• 2008

The documentary letter of credit is the most preferred and frequently used method in International Payment System in Korea, as it has less possibility of occurring credit risks in export than any other payment system. That's because the exporter can get payment from the issuing bank(confirming bank) by delivering the goods and presenting documents following the required procedure under the letter of credit, as the payment is affirmed by the issuing bank(including the confirming bank in case of the confirmed letter of credit) regardless of the buyer's payment. However, the pattern of payment methods used in international trade of Korea is changing dramatically like the importance of the credit is decreasing continuously among the payment methods while the remittance is increasing. The increase of remittance has a positive aspect that International Payment System are changing into those of advanced countries, but the decrease of the credit also has a negative aspect that the exporter might have a greater credit risks. Therefore, we need a systematic device to deal with this. Exporters in Korea usually have used the export credit insurance to deal with the credit risks However, the export credit insurance also have a limitation as the policy finance due to the limitation based on the credit status of the business and the limitation of acceptance from the lack of financial resources of the government, etc. Korea, which is the 11th export power in the world, has a basic limitation to deal with the credit risks by depending on the export credit insurance only. So, in this thesis, I have studied on the international factoring, forfaiting, which are advanced export finances and widely used in advanced countries, as substitutes to deal with the credit risks. the international factoring is an trade financing in which a factor offers full services such as credit cover, offering prepayment, collection, account receivables, management, etc, instead of the exporter on the account receivables occurred by the exporter's delivering goods to the importer. This international factoring has a high possibility of using as a means to deal with the credit risks, because it offers prepayment without recourse. the forfaiting is another export financing in which a forfaiter purchases the draft, the promissory note and other negotiable instruments issued from the international trade, with fixed interest rate without recourse from the exporter or previous holder. By using this method, they can avoid foreign exchange risks, contingency risks as well as credit risks, as the conveyances like the promissory note, etc are issued with the note warranty so-called 'per aval' in business practice. These trade financing are good substitutes to deal with the credit risks in export, but they are not widely used in Korea. Though it can be explained with various reasons, the common reasons are the lack of understanding on the use of advanced export finance, the lack of experts to manage the advanced trade finance, the conservative way of thinking of domestic organizations related to trade financing, the lack of organizations supporting the trade financing, etc.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.249-260
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• 2020

This research examined Israel's economic trends, trades, and cooperation with Korea prior to the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Korea and Israel. Also, this research assessed opportunities and ways to expand the above more easily. Israel has a high level of technology in basic materials and information technology (IT). Meanwhile, Korea mainly exports automobiles and wireless communication equipment to Israel and imports semiconductor-related equipment and aviation components from Israel. Moreover, since the two countries signed a trade agreement in August 2019, they expect to expand trade with each other. As such, in order to promote multilateral trade and cooperation between the two countries, it is necessary to expand joint development opportunities through mutual collaboration on basic industries and smart mobility that Korea is in need. Further, Korean construction and materials companies related to the SOC industry in Israel should accelerate their local advances. In addition, more of the governmental support should be provided to foster regional experts and to offer various information to the companies entering the country.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.37 no.1 s.70
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• pp.45-71
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• 2006

The main objective of this study is to analyze problems of the Country of Origin Labeling(COOL) in small live fish(SLF) trade by applying the asymmetric information theory which is called ${\ulcorner}$Lemon Market Theory${\lrcorner}$. The purpose of importing SLF is to enhance fishing household income and import substitution effect as well. SLF importation is quite different in its nature from importing general fish and fish products for final/direct consumption. SLF are imported for the purpose of domestic aquaculture and naturalization where domestic production/supply of SLF is less than domestic demand for or such species are not native to Korean waters. Information asymmetric problems arise even in SLF trade as the same way in general goods and services. However, the information asymmetry issues in SLF trade are much more complex than non-living goods because SLF are traded in the live state. To alleviate such problems the Korean government initiated the general COOL scheme to imported SLF. However, many experts argues that such policy on SLF would not be appropriate because of SLF's very nature. Applying the lemon market theory, we can analyze how information discovery schemes are able to signal correct information to SLF trading parties and to result in more symmetric information in SLF trade markets. This research carried out a case study about small live eel(SLF) trade and its farming. The results showed that applying the COOL to small live eels just right upon coming into fish farms tends to increase substantially fish farmer's income and at the same time to lower unnecessary transaction costs. In particular, such transaction costs by imposing simply the general COOL on SLF may easily outweigh its benefits. For instance, to resolve the problems, the Korean ministry of agriculture and forestry(KMAF) has developed a quite different COOL rules from the general ones and has applied them to imported live cattle and medium/small livestocks. The KMAF's differentiated COOL policy on some imported livestocks may be a good case which can be applied to imported SLF. In addition to the differentiated COOL on SLF, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and traceability system would play crucial complementary roles in alleviating information asymmetry problems in SLF trade. Advanced fisheries tend to strengthen their SPS system rather than to adopt the general comprehensive COOL schemes into imported SLF trades and domestic market exchanges.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.39-57
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• 2021

Purpose - This research uses ocean marine insurance (OMI) statistics, international emails, focus-group interviews, and surveys to fill the gap between the theory of behavioral insurance, particularly status quo bias (SQB), and the practice of OMI in Korea. The contractual forms of OMI, the oldest and most globalized form of commercial insurance, were developed in the UK as the Institute Cargo Clauses in 1906 and revised in 1963, 1982, and 2009. SQB has been academically explored, mostly in health insurance and the financial services sector, but never in OMI. Thanks to the availability of OMI statistics in Korea, we can conduct SQB research here for the first time in this field. Design/methodology - We show the existence of SQB in the OMI of Korea through Korean statistics between 2009 and 2018, email correspondence with experts in the UK, Germany, and Japan, focus-group interviews with Korean OMI underwriters, an in-depth interview with one underwriter, and a survey of 15 OMI insureds (company representatives). Findings - We find that Korean foreign traders rely on the old-type OMI contracts developed in 1963, whereas other industrialized countries use the newest type of OMI contract developed in 2009. With a simple loss ratio analysis during 2009-2018, we show that the behavior of insurers has little to do with rational profit maximization and is instead driven by irrational bias, as they forgo the more profitable contracts provided by the new clauses by keeping the old clauses. The consistent addiction to old types of contracts in the OMI market suggests strong SQB among Korean exporters, importers, bankers, or insurers, which we confirmed in our interviews and survey. Originality/value - This research has significant originality and academic value because it reports new findings with crucial implications for the development of efficient trade practices and policy. First, this research is based on actual statistics that have not been used in previous Korean research on OMI. Second, this research shows that all-risk OMI policies provide more value to insureds, in terms of coverage given premium, than partial coverage policies, which differs from arguments previously made in Korea. Third, this research reveals strong SQB in Korea, where foreign trade plays a pivotal role in economic growth. That bias could be attributable to uninformed traders, informed but idle insurers, or conservative bankers. Fourth, to further develop foreign trade, policy initiatives are needed to review the current practices of OMI contracts and move forward with the new contract forms. All of these findings and arguments are both new and important.

• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.31-69
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• 2018

This study examines the role of science in resolving trade disputes. After the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011 that not only jeopardized the people of Japan, but also put the safety of an entire region at risk, the Republic of Korea (Korea) has imposed import bans as well as increased testing and certification requirements for radioactive material on Japanese food products. Japan has challenged these restrictions at the World Trade Organizations Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). This study aims to explain how international trade agreements and previous DSB rulings have dealt with different scientific viewpoints provided by confronting parties. In doing so, it will contrast the viewpoints espoused by Korean and Japanese representatives, and then analyzes the most similar case studies previously ruled on by the DSB, including the case of beef hormones and the case of genetically modified crops including biotech corn, both between the United States and the European Communities (EC). This study finds that science is largely subordinate to national interests in the case of state decision-making within the dispute settlement processes, and science has largely been relegated to a supportive role. Due to the ambiguity and lack of truly decisive decisions in the Appellate Body in science-based trade disputes, this study concludes that the Appellate Body avoids taking a firm scientific position in cases where science is still inconclusive in any capacity. Due to the panel's unwillingness to establish expert review boards as it has the power to do, instead favoring an individual-based system so that all viewpoints can be heard, it has also developed a system with its own unique weaknesses. Similar to any court of law in which each opposing party defends its own interests, each side brings whatever scientific evidence it can to defend its position, incentivizing them to disregard scientific conclusions unfavorable to their position. With so many questions that can arise, combined with the problems of evolving science, questions of risk, and social concerns in democratic society, it is no wonder that the panel views scientific information provided by the experts as secondary to the legal and procedural issues. Despite being ruled against the EC on legal issues in two previous cases, the EC essentially won both times because the panel did not address whether its science was correct or not. This failure to conclusively resolve a debate over whose science is more scientific enabled the EC to simply fix the procedural issues, while continuing to enforce trade restrictions based on their scientific evidence. Based on the analysis of the two cases of disputes, Korea may also find itself guilty of imposing an unwarranted moratorium on Japan's fish exports, only to subsequently pass new restrictions on labelling and certification requirements because Japan may have much scientific evidence at its disposal. However, Korea might be able to create enough uncertainty in the panel to force them to rule exclusively on the legal issues of the case. This will then equip Korea, like the EC in the past, with a way of working around the ruling, by changing whatever legal procedure they need to while maintaining some, if not most, of its restrictions when the panel fails to address its case on scientific grounds.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.1-31
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• 2015

Korea has continuously increased investment on R&D to improve global technology competitiveness through technology innovation. Korea's R&D expenditure as a percent of GDP is world's No. 1 as 4.15 and it accomplished 1 trillion won trade volume for 4 consecutive years. However, despite these efforts, technology balance of payment, which is an important factor that can measure nation's technology competitiveness is in a state of chronic deficit and the lowest level among OECD countries. In this paper, we studied methods to improve Korea's technology balance of payment We figured out concept and current state of technology trade and examined the importance of technology trade through making a comparison between commodity trade and technology trade. There have been studies regarding technology trade, but there was no study which tried to figure out cognition on technology trade from the point of view of companies which plays an important role in technology trade. For this, this study distinguished companies with experience in technology trade and which have not and conducted a survey to figure out cognition and current state of companies. The survey result showed noticeable difference on cognition of top decision makers between companies with experience in technology trade and which have not and there are serious shortage in department and staff which is exclusively responsible for technology trade. Also, despite their needs for education regarding technology trade, the ratio of employees who received education is below 10 % of the total respondents. This study suggested improvement methods such as reforming survey methods of technology trade statistics, enhancing social cognition, supporting to vitalize technology export, building infrastructure regarding technology trade, and opening education programs for cultivating experts based on preceding research and industry survey.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.127-131
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• 2020

In today's financial industry, Fintech (financial technology) has showed its role of an innovation-driving area, which can bring outstanding changes to the traditional financial market. This article will briefly introduce Fintech as well as its development in Vietnam. Besides, the research also provided a survey on experts' opinions on the challenges to the promotion of Fintech application for the modernization of the banking-finance system in Vietnam. The survey results of 40 experts in banking with knowledge of Fintech identify five challenges faced by Fintech companies in Vietnam: (1) legal corridor; (2) infrastructure; (3) Fintech companies; (4) customers; and (5) human resources. From these five challenges/barriers, there are 14 detailed aspects. The results of the expert survey using descriptive statistics show that all five factors are assessed to be low and need to be better addressed in the future. The authors suggest several solutions for further development of Fintech to support the modernization of the banking-finance system in Vietnam: (1) quickly complete the regulatory framework; (2) introduce policies on tax exemption; (3) promote research and application of the benefits of block-chain technology; (4) utilize the abilities of the human resources; and (5) actively promote and popularize knowledge about Fintech.