• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.467-478
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• 2011

This study examines international tourists 'perceived images and service quality of Korean foods. A survey was conducted to international tourists(Chinese, Japanese, American) visiting Korea. The results of study show that there is a significant difference in several attributes of Korean traditional foods as perceived by international tourists along their nationality. Particularly, American tourists tend to highly evaluate Korean foods as ones good for health. The perceived attractiveness of Korean foods in terms of color and shape is higher for Chinese and Americans than Japanese. A distinct difference is also found in the importance and performance attributes of perceived quality of Korean foods by the nationality of tourists. The results of IPA for the perceived quality of Korean traditional foods show that the restaurant facility and atmosphere are identified as the ones that need to be improved across all the tourists.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.257-272
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• 2013

As visiting of Chinese tourists to Korea have increased gradually, Chinese people who use online travel reservation services for their visits to Korea have increased accordingly. In addition, the growth of the online reservation services in China is very rapid. Therefore, it is necessary to study the factors affecting the Chinese tourists' intention to use the online travel reservation services in order to advance e-business in the travel industry. This paper presents a new research model based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) including perceived risk, service factors, online reviews and user satisfaction. Also, it analyzes factors affecting the Chinese tourists' intention to use the online travel reservation services. The results of this study show that the key influencers of the online travel reservation services are perceived usefulness, perceived ease, and perceived risk. Additionally, based on these results, this paper proposes practical suggestions to solve the existing problems and improve online travel reservation websites in China.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.625-639
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• 2015

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea has rapidly increased over the last decade. It is important to understand Chinese consumption patterns and shopping behavior because they have become major customers in the Korean fashion market. This study focuses on how Chinese tourists feel while shopping in Korea and how emotions influence their attitude towards purchased products. We examine how planned purchase and unplanned purchase impact shopping emotions and product usage satisfaction. A survey was conducted on 550 women between 20 and 60 years of age who have visited Seoul more than once with an online panel from an international survey firm. Data are analyzed using structural equation modeling by AMOS 20.0. Respondents were asked to recall most impressive fashion product that they bought in Korea during their recent visit and to answer if it was a planned or unplanned purchase. This study also measures emotions during product purchases and usage satisfaction. The respondents are categorized into heavy and light buyers according to purchasing power to determine the moderating effects of purchase amount. The results indicate that planned purchases tend to deliver positive emotions that enhance product usage satisfaction. In the case of unplanned purchases, without the mediating role of positive shopping emotions, it has a negative impact on product attitude and shows the importance of positive emotions during shopping. The influence of unplanned purchases on shopping emotions or product attitude in light buyers is not significant for the moderating effect of purchasing power. Only planned purchases trigger product usage satisfaction when it is mediated by positive emotions.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.438-450
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify relationships between acculturation, social network, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Korean-Chinese immigrants. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 147 Korean-Chinese immigrants who were residing more than 1 year in Korea. Physical and mental dimensions of HRQOL were assessed by Short Form-12 Health Survey that consisted of a physical component summary (PCS) and a mental component summary (MCS). Data were analyzed with Pearson's correlation and multiple regression. Results: The mean PCS score was $41.14{\pm}10.72$ and the mean MCS score was $49.09{\pm}11.31$ (possible range 10-70). Depression (${\beta}$=-6.43) and Social network frequency (${\beta}$=2.44) explained 28.4% of the variance in PCS while depression (${\beta}$=-11.54) and visiting clinic/hospital (${\beta}$=-4.00) explained 34.3% of the variance in MCS. Acculturation was not significantly associated with HRQOL. Conclusion: This study confirmed that the social network frequency influences HRQOL among Korean-Chinese Immigrants. The findings suggest that social network analysis should be considered in the process of developing health intervention strategies for Korean-Chinese immigrants.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2023

Since its inception in 2009, medical tourism in South Korea has continued to progress. Reaching its peak in 2019, the industry experienced a sharp decline in inbound patients after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 due to international border closures and a surge in patient numbers. However, from 2021 onwards, there has been a gradual increase in inbound patients. The purpose of this study was to classify the top 12 countries based on the number of actual patients entering the country from 2014 to 2022, using statistics from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. It also analyzed the changes in the number of foreign patients visiting Korea and the evolving proportion of actual patients compared to short-term visa arrivals on a yearly basis. Through this content, we aim to examine the trends on a country-by-country basis and identify the direction in which the future of South Korean medical tourism should progress. By focusing on healthcare, we intend to pinpoint areas that require attention and improvement, as well as highlight any existing issues. Through modifications and enhancements based on these considerations, we aspire to attract a significant number of foreign patients, thereby promoting South Korea's medical technology on a global scale.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.131-143
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• 2017

As the number of tourists visiting Seoul are continuously increasing, the demand of an integrative tour pass is also increasing. However, only a few tour passes are available for the tourists in Seoul. In this paper, we propose a new tour pass called "Seoul Landmark Pass" targeting foreign individual travelers and investigate the marketability of the proposed tour pass. For the configuration of the Seoul Landmark Pass we listed 17 candidate attractions charging entrance fee in Seoul, referring to e-guidebook on Visit Seoul web site. Among them we selected 6 attractions using the checklist with the attributes that foreign tourists would prefer. We also performed SWOT analyzes on existing tour passes to determine the benefits to be included in the proposed tour pass. To investigate the marketability of the proposed tour pass we have surveyed the foreign individual tourists in Seoul. Using the survey data, we have analyzed the intent of purchase by age, visiting period, visiting purpose, frequency of visit, and nationality to identify target customers. The results show that the intent of purchase is high among the Chinese tourists at the age of twenties who visited Seoul for the first time or second times. Also, the individual tourists prefer to bundle T-money card with the proposed tour pass. Finally, we have provided a brief review of the Price Sensitivity Measurement (PSM) method and applied PSM to determine the acceptable price range and the optimal price of the proposed tour pass. The optimal price of the proposed tour pass is determined at 53,000 won including T-money card.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.111-128
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• 2016

Trade between nations has been considered as exchange for material things. According to recent changes in the paradigm of global trade, trade is shifting focus on the exchange of an immaterial being. Among them, the service sector is growing fast and the health service has shown exceptional growth as the healthcare market is consistently expanding. It is also part of the global service targeting people all around the world. People visiting other countries for medical service tend to spend more money and stay longer than a traveler. For these reasons, global medical service is in the spotlight as a promising and higher value-added business. The global medical service industry has been developed around Asia, specifically Thailand, Singapore, India, etc. Compared to them, Korea has come late into the market of global healthcare and the Korean government is striving to attract foreign patients. Nevertheless, there is a lack of effort to make foreign patients visiting Korea revisit Korea. Regarding foreign patients' medical disputes, these are not yet a problem officially; however, the government cannot leave the matter as it is. Medical dispute related with foreign patients is a highly complex issue due to different languages, nationalities, cultures, etc. Particularly, Korea's medical tourism is developed with Chinese visiting Korea for plastic surgery and cosmetic procedure. Thus, the Korean medical tourism market can be crowded with a lot of minor medical agencies, so-called brokers, getting foreign patients connected to the medical institutions. Consequently, Korea has received a large number of complaints and dissatisfaction. No one can predict and know what's supposed to happen in the future. Efforts of the Korean government and medical institute attracting foreign patients could be in vain. In order to take a step forward, this paper will do research on present conditions and look for strategies of improving this industry, focusing on the part of medical agency and contributing to the improvement of the Korean medical tourism industry.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.97-120
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• 2017

This study attempted to examine how Chinese consumers' brand authenticity of Korean cosmetic brands are related to brand loyalty through brand aura. In other words, this study observed how Chinese consumers' brand authenticity, which includes product, employee and corporate authenticity related to Korean cosmetic brands, influence on the consumers' brand loyalty through brand aura. To this end, we surveyed Chinese consumers visiting Korean cosmetic brand shops in department stores, discount stores and large shopping malls in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou in China. A total of 400 surveys were used in the empirical analysis. The results of empirical analysis confirmed that product, employee, and corporate authenticity of Chinese consumers have for Korean cosmetic brands positively influenced on brand aura. Furthermore, results showed that Chinese consumers' brand aura of Korean cosmetic brands had a positive effect on brand loyalty. The results of this study provide implications to help Korean cosmetic companies gain a competitive edge in the Chinese cosmetic market by understanding Chinese consumers' authenticity of their brands and building brand images and using differentiated marketing strategies that can induce brand aura.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.81-92
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• 2017

This study was to investigate the elasticity in tourism demand of Chinese tourists visiting Malaysia through ARDL models by using Chinese tourists arrivals, GDP, CPI, transportation costs and others. When China was implementing an open-door policy with foreign countries in the early 15th century, the movement of Chinese was very limited, and then communication between China and other countries was very weak. However, the Chinese government persistently and entirely implemented an open-door policy by participating in the World Trade Organization(WTO) in 2001. The Chinese government has opened the economy through foreign direct investment by providing various incentives for foreign investment. As a result, inbound and outbound Chinese movements increased in the early 21st century. China was one of the top five most visited tourist destinations in the world by 2016, and also Chinese tourists traveling abroad increased, so they made Malaysia a popular tourists destination because of increase sharply to around 1.41 million. This study examined the significance of major economic factors affecting the increase in Chinese tourists arriving in Malaysia. Other factors that induced their arrival included income, tourism prices, transportation costs and promotional activities. Short-run shocks from the Asian economic crisis and the outbreak of SARS were included to understand how tourism demand in Malaysia was affected. Finally this study found that the combination of the ARDL and the Error Correction Model were useful to statistically estimate the elasticities of tourism demand.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.30-48
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• 2019

China has initiated a series of "economic sanctions" against South Korea, affecting Korean pop stars visiting China and Korean investments in China. Sanctions were imposed on South Korea in response to the decision of South Korea to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in 2016. Furthermore, the Global Daily assembled local population to boycott Korean products and investments in China. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has never positively confirmed these activities as economic sanctions to South Korea related to the THAAD installation. In other words, the Chinese government singled a relatively weak message via these sanctions to South Korea. As a result, the THADD implementation continued in South Korea. In the paper, I interpret China's rationale to impost puzzling economic sanctions, which have a weak resolution, to South Korea and Taiwan. As signaling theory argues, economic sanctions with insufficient resolution, which are more likely to fail, is a more provocative foreign policy. By reviewing China's sanctions usage to South Korea and Taiwan, I propose arguments of bureaucratic competition to answer why China launched such sanctions to other countries: those are caused by domestic institutions who are seeking reward from the Communist Party of China. By comparing shifts of leadership between domestic agencies, the paper provides evidence to support the proposed argument. I also include two alternative explanations to strengthen the proposed argument, albeit connecting the paper with other two larger streams of research, which address analyses of China's aggressive foreign policies as well as the domestic politics of economic sanctions.