• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.17.1-17.6
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• 2023

The current 52-hour workweek in South Korea consists of 40 hours of regular work and 12 hours of overtime. Although the average working hours in South Korea is declining, it is still 199 hours longer than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average of 1,716 hours per year. In view to this, the South Korean government has now proposed to reform the workweek, mainly intending to increase the workweek to 69 hours when the workload is heavy. This reform, by increasing the labor intensity due to long working hours, goes against the global trend of reducing work hours for a safe and healthy working environment. Long working hours can lead to increased cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, industrial accidents, mental health problems, and safety accidents due to lack of concentration. In conclusion, the Korean government's working hour reform plan can have a negative impact on workers' health, and therefore it should be thoroughly reviewed and modified.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.61
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• pp.327-358
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• 2014

During the past decade after entering the World Trade Organization (WTO), China has quickened its integration into the global economy while its foreign trade has been further invigorated. On the 10th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO, the Chinese government issues White Paper to give a comprehensive introduction to China's foreign trade development. Through this paper, the Chinese government introduces I. Historic Progress in China's Foreign Trade II. Reform of and Improvements to China's Foreign Trade System III. The Development of China's Foreign Trade Contributes to the World Economy IV. Promoting Basically Balanced Growth of Foreign Trade V. Constructing All-round Economic and Trade Partnerships with Mutually Beneficial Cooperation VI. Realizing Sustainable Development of Foreign Trade. At present, the underlying impact of the international financial crisis, the protracted, arduous and complicated nature of the world economic recovery is manifesting itself, and the global economic structure and trade layout face in-depth readjustment. China will make new adjustments to its foreign trade, in an effort to turn foreign trade from scale expansion to quality and profit improvement, and from mainly relying on its low-cost advantage to enhancing its comprehensive competitive edge, thereby turning China from a big trading country to a strong trading power. China's foreign trade is still hampered by many uncertainties and is bound to meet new difficulties and challenges. During the 12th Five-year Plan period China will open itself wider to the outside world as a driver for further reform, development and innovation, make full use of its advantages, strengthen international cooperation in all respects. And at the same time China integrate itself into the world economy on a wider scale and at a higher level. China is willing to work with its trading partners to cope with the various challenges facing the world economy and trade, and promote its foreign trade to realize a more balanced, coordinated and sustainable development, and share prosperity and mutually beneficial results with its trading partners.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.767-785
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• 2009

This paper studies the effect of industrial waste water effluent charge reform. The goal of the present effluent charge system is to use environmental resources in an efficient way by charging the cost for removing emitted water pollutants. However, the present system is a type of regulation instead of providing economic incentives to the industry. That is, if a firm emits pollutants greater than the limit, it has to pay an amount greater than the cost of cleaning them taking into account the amount of waste water discharged, region, the number of violation and the level of density of pollutants. However, the excessive fees have resulted in the lowest ratio of revenue-to-effluent charge among all environmental charges. The paper estimates the effect of the change in effluent fee and revenue when the present effluent charge system is converted to one that offers economic incentives. The results show that the amount of waste water effluent charge is about four times larger than the estimated environmental cleaning cost. In addition, the results show that by modifying the effluent charge system, the ratio of revenue to effluent charge can be raised.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.197-221
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• 2013

The 2008 world economic crisis had unprecedented consequences in European societies, with repercussions on Southern European countries in particular. In Italy, the crisis itself provided a plausible rationale for policy makers to push forward long needed welfare cuts, resulting in the neoliberal austerity trend fostered by the Monti government (years 2011-2012). In the light of the fact that Bismarckian welfare states from continental Europe are generally difficult to reform, understanding these policy dynamics requires an adequate theoretical framework. This paper seeks to understand the logics behind welfare reforms in Italy after the 2008 economic crisis, by reviewing available theoretical approaches in literature. It is argued that external forces (notably, the European Union) represented the main trigger factor, and that political elites marginalized the role played by civil society, with social problems such as unemployment worsening as a result.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.177-198
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• 2016

China has retained economic growth rate of average 9% for more than ten years recently after China introduced capitalistic market economy system in 1979 by Deng Xiaoping. China has attracted foreign direct investment for a long time because it has retained very high economic growth rate, low labor cost, and various policies for foreign investors. This paper tries to analyse the determinants of foreign direct investment inflow after reform-opening of China with empirical analysis methods utilizing each province·city's specific characteristics by using the panel data from 1985 to 2013. For the empirical analysis we use random effect model, fixed effect model, pooled OLS, and random coefficient model. The results by pooled OLS and random coefficient model are presented for the comparison with the main results in the process of research. The research shows the results by fixed effect model are better than those by random effect model after doing Hausman's test. The results shows that GRDP, capital stock, and telecommunication exert a positive relationship with foreign direct investment, while express way variable exerts a negative one. China's education level surprisingly does not attract foreign direct investment even though it is not at a critical level. Therefore, the Chinese government should try to increase national income level as it symbolizes market size; encourage domestic investment; and construct high quality telecommunication infrastructure.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.179-206
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• 2005

The development of information & telecommunication technology and internet-based electronic commerce helps to create a new economic environment. Such an economic environment requires the companies to change themselves, while providing unlimited potential and opportunities to them. Thus, in order to help the companies engaged in a fair and free competition in the electronic market, a fair competition policy needs to be designed and operated. The electronic commerce has not only promote the competition but also impede it. The electronic commerces tend to violate the fair trade than the conventional commerces in terms of differentiation, monopoly, conference, limited competition and intellectual property rights, schumpeterian competition, Alliance competition. With such basic concepts in mind, this study was aimed at reviewing the economic effects of the electronic commerce in the market and addressing the problems involving the application of the fair trade code to the electronic commerce, and thereby, suggesting the insights into our fair competition policy and reform measures.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.173-187
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• 2022

Since the economic reform 1991, Indian has been implementing policies to promote trade and foreign direct investment (FDI). In particular, since the inauguration of the Modi government in 2014, India has created an economic environment in which more FDI can be launched and more jobs created in manufacturing sector. This study aims to analyze between FDI outflows and export from Korea to India. Using the quarter data from 2000 to 2021, this study examines panel regression. From the panel regression result, Korea's FDI outflows to India has a significantly positive impact on the Korea's export into India. Therefore, the relationship between FDI outflows and export from Korea to India is complementary. It is due that Korea's companies invest into India directly for the purpose of construction of production factors, and export capital goods and intermediate goods for producing in the factors. Therefore, for promoting FDI and export between Korea and India, Korean government should do continuous economic cooperation and discussion for the cooperation with Indian government.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.339-361
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• 2009

This paper attempts to provide a way to improvement in trade & commerce between Korea and Russia, analyzing the influence of the circumstances of the Russian economy on economic relations between the two countries. The study briefly reviews the current situation of the Russian economy, and tries to examine the strong points to be considered as leverage for cooperation and the weak points to be overcome. Previous studies have determined that the Russian economy has unlimited potential for growth, because it is endowed with abundant resources, and has a government willing to reform for the opening of the economy, as well as high-quality labor. However, the economic structure is vulnerable to impact of the worldwide financial crisis. It is not possible to overlook its institutional fragility and vulnerability such as a corrupt bureaucracy or a relatively large black market. These undesirable factors may not only undermine the basis of Russia economy but also a hindrance to economic cooperation by increasing economic uncertainty. This paper attempts to analyze comprehensively the socio-economic factors that influence the open-economy of Russia, and to illustrate strategies for improvement in trade and commerce through the viewpoint of Korean firms that are already in business or are trying to enter in the near future. Some measures to improve their economic cooperation are suggested at the end.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.83-103
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• 2009

This paper attempts to provide a way to improvement in trade & commerce between Korea and Russia, analyzing the influence of the circumstances of the Russian economy on economic relations between the two countries. The study briefly reviews the current situation of the Russian economy, and tries to examine the strong points to be considered as leverage for cooperation and the weak points to be overcome. Previous studies have determined that the Russian economy has unlimited potential for growth, because it is endowed with abundant resources, and has a government willing to reform for the opening of the economy, as well as high-quality labor. However, the economic structure is vulnerable to impact of the worldwide financial crisis. It is not possible to overlook its institutional fragility and vulnerability such as a corrupt bureaucracy or a relatively large black market. These undesirable factors may not only undermine the basis of Russia economy but also a hindrance to economic cooperation by increasing economic uncertainty. This paper attempts to analyze comprehensively the socio-economic factors that influence the open-economy of Russia, and to illustrate strategies for improvement in trade and commerce through the viewpoint of Korean firms that are already in business or are trying to enter in the near future. Some measures to improve their economic cooperation are suggested at the end.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.69-91
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• 1990

A major change in tariff rates was made in January 1989 in Korea. The benchmark tariff rate, which applies to about two thirds of all commodity items, was lowered to 15 percent from 20 percent. In addition, the variation in tariff rates among different types of commodities was reduced. This paper examines the economic impact of the tariff reform using a multisectoral general equilibrium model of the Korean economy which was introduced by Lee and Chang(1988), and by Lee(1988). More specifically, this paper attempts to find the changes in imports, exports, domestic production, consumption, prices, and employment in 31 different sectors of the economy induced by the reform in tariff rates. The policy simulations are made according to three different methods. First, tariff changes in industries are calculated strictly according to the change in legal tariff rates, which tend to over-estimate the size of the tariff reduction given the tariff-drawback system and tariff exemption applied to various import items. Second, tariff changes in industries are obtained by dividing the estimated tariff revenues of each industry by the estimated imports for that industry, which are often called actual tariff rates. According to the first method, the import-weighted average tariff rate is lowered from 15.2% to 10.2%, while the second method changes the average tariff rate from 6.2% to 4.2%. In the third method, the tariff-drawback system is internalized in the model. This paper reports the results of the policy simulation according to all three methods, comparing them with one another. It is argued that the second method yields the most realistic estimate of the changes in macro-economic variables, while the third method is useful in delineating the differences in impact across industries. The findings, according to the second method, show that the tariff reform induces more imports in most sectors. Garments, leather products, and wood products are those industries in which imports increase by more than 5 percent. On the other hand, imports in agricultural, mining and service sectors are least affected. Domestic production increases in all sectors except the following: leather products, non-metalic products, chemicals, paper and paper products, and wood-product industries. The increase in production and employment is largest in export industries, followed by service industries. An impact on macroeconomic variables is also simulated. The tariff reform increases nominal GNP by 0.26 percent, lowers the consumer price index by 0.49 percent, increases employment by 0.24 percent, and worsens the trade balance by 480 million US dollars, through a rise in exports of 540 million US dollars and a rise in imports of 1.02 billion US dollars.