• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.55-75
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• 1992

At the outset of import liberalization, most economists expected a significant drop in the prices of domestic goods that faced foreign competition. However, it is now generally acknowledge that a significant drop in prices of those goods has not occurred. A common claim is that the prices did not drop significantly because the major importers of many imported goods were also the domestic producers of competing goods. The objective of this paper is to analyze the welfare effect of importation by domestic firms that produce competing goods, to identify the factors that facilitate such business practices, and to formulate a policy that could improve the welfare. We proved that importation by competing domestic firms definitely raises the prices of both imported and domestic goods compared to the situation where foreign goods are imported by non-producers, ceteris paribus. The intuition behind this result is that since a producer-importer is essentially a cartel, its overall profit maximization requires reduced competition between the products that it sells. On the other hand, if a producer-importer is more efficient at distrinbution than a simple importer, the comparison between the two cases is a priori indeterminate. We also find that the industries in which domestic producers are actively involved in importing competing goods are the ones in which the distribution channels are tightly controlled by importer-producers. This finding suggests that exclusive dealing contracts, which work as an entry barrier, may be the source of importing by domestic producers. We argue that in a country such as Korea, where financial market is highly incomplete, tight control of the distribution channels by oligopolistic manufacturers is likely to be an effective entry barrier that leads to importing by domestic producers of similar goods. We further argue that seemingly superior distribution costs of importer-producers is likely to be a result of market foreclosure which would disappear once the entry barrier of exclusive dealing contracts is removed. Above findings suggest that market imperfections are the source of importation by domestic competitors, which in turn constitutes a market imperfection in itself and reduces consumer welfare. As potential remedies, we considered three alternatives; direct price control by the government over the imported goods sold by major domestic producers, regulation of trade itself between major producers, and regulation of exclusive dealing contracts. For reasons both theoretical and pratical, we find that the last alternative is the most attrative. Prohibiting exclusive contracts between manufacturers and dealers in industries where exclusive dealing contracts are a significant entry barrier is expected to break up the importer-producer cartel and improve the welfare.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.30-41
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• 2024

The way we work is changing significantly with the rapid development of digitaltechnology, and paper documents are being replaced by electronic documents. However, in accordance with the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Regulation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the environmental impact assessment report must submit a set number of paper reports to organizations related to the project, and about 42 years have passed since it was submitted as a paperreport. In 2022, the National Institute of Ecology introduced a system to review paperreports as electronic documents in line with the trend of digital transformation. The cost reduction and carbon emission reduction effects of electronic document review were analyzed for 1,398 environmental impact assessments submitted and reviewed in 2022. In addition, a satisfaction survey was conducted targeting type 1 environmental impact assessment companies that were directly affected, and a total of 134 people responded. As a result of analyzing the effect of reviewing electronic documents, costs are reduced by a total of 101,424,900 won per year and carbon emissions are reduced by about 59.7 tons. As a result of the satisfaction survey, 94.8% of the respondents said electronic documentreview was very helpful, and 4.5% said it was helpful. The effectiveness of electronic documentreview was high, with 94.8% of respondents saying it was helpful in economic terms and 91.8% saying it was helpful in reducing work hours. If electronic documents are reviewed through the revisions to the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Regulation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the implementation of electronic document review is expected to have a ripple effect across the country, not only reducing costs and carbon emissions, but also reducing administrative time and saving storage space. Rapid changes in law and administration are needed to adapt to the digital transformation era.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2008

The Korean government has tried to increase the total national R&D investment and, to streamline acts and regulations concerning national R&D activities. Korea's total R&D expenditure in the field of S&T for the year 2006 amounted to about 27.3 trillion won including government R&D of 8.9trillion won. The Korean government enacted several pieces of legislation concerning S&T: the "Technology Transfer Promotion Act (1999)" ; the "Framework Act on Science and Technology (2000)", and the "Presidential Regulation for Managing the Government R&D Programs (2001)." With these efforts the capacity of Korea S&T has made great strides recently. But for years Korea has run a severe deficit of technology trade. The Korea's balance ratio of technology trade is 0.36 (export/import). It means that Korean industry excessively depends on foreign resource in introducing new technologies. The Korean government has put a lot of effort into promoting the commercialization of technologies developed in universities. The public technology transfer policy of the government has improved the infrastructure of technology transfer and commercialization. However, the government has realized that these policies have not been as effective as they were anticipated. In spite of these various efforts, the technologies obtained from the government R&D Programs have not been transferred to the Korean industry properly. Only 13.6% of technologies developed in universities for the year 2005 were transferred to industry. The academic royalty revenues for the year was 0.15% of their total R&D expenditure It shows only a twentieth of the percentage of royalty revenues for the American universities. The reasons of poor commercialization of academic technologies are intermingled with imperfection of technology transfer system, lack of licensing experience, immaturity of socio-economic circumstance and inadequacy of legal system and government policy. In this study we analyzed the problems of legal system and policy in licensing of government R&D outputs and suggested proper alternatives.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.91-112
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• 2020

In Ethiopia, dry land vegetation including the fairly intact lowland and western escarpment woodlands occupy the largest vegetation resource of the country. These forests play a central role in environmental regulation and socio-economic assets, yet they received less scientific attention than the moist forests. This study evaluated the woody plant species composition, population structure and carbon sequestration potential of the A. senegal woodland across three distance gradients from the settlements. A total of 45 sample quadrants were laid along a systematically established nine parallel transect lines to collect vegetation and soil data across distance gradients from settlement. Mature tree dry biomass with DBH>2.5 cm was estimated using allometric equations. A total of 41 woody plant species that belong to 20 families were recorded and A. senegal was the dominant species with 56.4 IVI value. Woody plant species diversity, density and richness were significantly higher in the distant plots compared to the nearest plots to settlement (p<0.05). The cumulative DBH class distribution of all individuals had showed an interrupted inverted J-shape population pattern. There were 19 species without seedlings, 15 species without saplings and 14 species without both seedlings and saplings. A significant above ground carbon (5.3 to 12.7 ton ha^-1), root carbon (1.6 to 3.6 ton ha^-1), soil organic carbon (35.6 to 44.5 ton ha^-1), total carbon stock (42.5 to 60.7 ton ha^-1) and total carbon dioxide equivalent (157.7 to 222.8 ton ha^-1) was observed consistently with an increasing of distance from settlement (p<0.05). Distance from settlement had significant and positive correlation with species diversity and carbon stock at 0.64^⁎⁎ and 0.78^⁎⁎. Disturbance intensity may directly influence the variation of species composition, richness and density along the A. senegal woodland. The sustainability of the A. senegal woodland needs urgent protection, conservation and restoration.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.743-756
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• 2002

Purpose: This study is a descriptive and comparative study that compares health state and school adaptation between children in divorced family and in normal family. Study results will provide a basic data for the development of an intervention program designed to help children in divorced family adjust to their crisis. Method: The study subjects consisted of 700 children in 4th. 5th or 6th elementary school grade, residing Seoul and Kyunggi regions. Among these subjects, 123 were children with divorced family and 577 were children with normal family. The health status of the subjects was measured by Health Symptom Questionnaire developed by Shin and revised by the investigators. The instrument consisted of 30 items measuring physical and emotional health symptoms. The level of school adaptation of the subjects was measured by School Adaptation Scale developed by Lee, which consisted of 4 dimensions with 20 items what measures relationship with peer students, learning activity, observance of regulation, and participation of school activity. The investigators visited the schools and collected data in the classes using the questionnaire after explaining the purpose and procedures of the study to the children. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, $\yen\"{o}2$-test, t-test, ANOVA using the SPSS PC + statistical program. Result: First, the mean health state score in children with normal family (M=11.99) was higher than that in children with divorced family (M=19.15), showing a significant difference (t=-6.51, p=.000) between the two groups, which suggests that children with normal family have better health state than children with divorced family. Second, the mean school adaptation score in children with normal family (M=38.99) was higher than that in children with divorced family (M=26.97), showing a significant difference between the two groups (t=104.07, p=.000), which suggests that the school adaptation of children with normal family is better than that of children with divorced family. Third, in comparison of health state between the two groups by general characteristics. there were significant differences between the two groups in sex. the most contributing factor to health status of the children, school year. birth order, religion, school achievement, amount of monthly pocket money, parents level of formal education, occupation of parents, economic status (p<.05). Forth, in comparison of the level of school adaptation between the two groups by general characteristics, there were significant differences between the two groups in most variables (p<.05), suggesting that children with normal family had better capacity of school adaptation than children with divorced family. Conclusion: As a result. this study showed that the parent's divorce had great influence on children's health status and school adaptation capacity. The implication for nursing is that there is a need to develop supportive interventions for the high-risk children who have decreased health states and school adaptation capacity due to the divorce of their parents. In addition, it is recommended that further studies should be conducted to explore protective factors for the prevention of health and adaptation problems in children.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.22-33
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• 1989

Rapid socio-cultural and economic changes in the country has brought with it changes in the society's value system. For a traditional society that is increasingly being exposed to modernization but where sex norms are still very restrictive, the adolescent sexual mores takes on added significance. Adolescents are caught between two opposing forces, the changing environment that allows for freer and liberal mores and the traditional society that cannot keep pace with the changing environment and therefore demands resistance to changes. This paper focuses on problems of adolescent sexuality in this country and considers the countermeasures for the existing problems. Amongst the problems are: (a) increasingly younger age of the adolescents who start sexual intercourse (b) non-use of contraception, (c) unwanted pregnancies, (d) increase in the number of induced abortion and (e) increase in the number of unwanted children and unmarried mothers. The Korean adolescent's sexual behavior seems to follow that of the developed countries. In other words, many western modes of life and sexual values seem to bave been copied in Korea and yet Korean adolescents lack in their knowledge of sex related matters such as reproductive physiology and contraception. Among middle and high school students, female students are reported to have less knowledge on sex than male students according to a 1988 survey by KIPH. Even among the unmarried famale factory workers, only 42.5 percent replied they know of the condom, and 25.1 percent and 23.1 percent said they had knowledge of spermicide and menstrual regulation respectively. However, 14.9 percent and 13.9 percent reported that they had a knowledge of the loop and female sterilization respectively according to the 1984 study by KIPH. Among the middle school students 0.8 percent said they had experience in sexual intercourse, while 7.3 percent of the high school students reported having had sexual intercourse. The sexual intercourse experience rate among the unmarried female factory workers is 37.8 percent. Among those female factory workers with sexual experience, 46.7 percent had more than one sex partners. Only 39.1 percent of male students and 18.9 percent of female students among those with sexual intercourse experience have used contraceptives. mostly condoms and oral pills 45.1 percent of female factory workers with sexual intercourse experience used contraceptives such as pills, condoms and rhythm methods. The pregnancy experience rate among the female factory workers who had experience in sexual intercourse is 29.5 percent, which is 11.1 percent among the total respondents. Out of the 102 pregnant female workers, 98 workers(96.1 percent) terminated their pregnancy by induced abortion and 2 workders(2 percent) in natural abortion, while 1 worker(1 percent) was in pregnancy and another 1 worker had normal birth that was subsequently sent to orphanage. In order to cope with the problem of adolescent sexuality, a drastic and strong policy measures should be taken by the government. The most effective countermeasure to the adolescent sexual problems appears to the education. The sex and population education in the school is very much in need. In addition, sex education program through mass media and at the job sit-should be promoted for a healthy development of adolescents' sexual behavior. Also, the existing national family planning program, which has focused on the married couples, should be extended to the unmarried people in its scope and contents of the program.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.401-410
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate predictors and mediating effects of physical activity and nourishment regulation on well-being among young and middle aged patients on DM medication and to compare between those with non-pharmacological treatment and those without. Data were obtained from 2017 community health survey including 1,480 DM patients with oral medication in the age between 20 and 49. Using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 25.0, path analysis was performed to explore the association between personal factors (socio-economic status, health habit, eating habit and compliance of health examination) and well-being, along with mediating effects of physical activity. Results demonstrated the different mediating role of physical activity. In medication only group, there was no direct effect of physical activity and no indirect effect of personal factors. Direct effect of physical activity and indirect effects of predictors were found in those with non-pharmacological treatment group. When developing strategies to enhance well-being of young and middle aged diabetic patients, proper reflection of their age specific traits and disease management capability are essential.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.222-235
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• 2020

This study examines the poverty progress and its factors which drove the lives of the middle-aged men in Chokbang area. The observed examples are the retired government officials and the self-employed who have been classified as the ones in the economically-middle class but currently as the welfare recipients. According to the results of in-depth interview and observation, the poverty of the observed has undergone the progress of trigger, worsening, breakup, desperation and stabilizing stages. The poverty factors found in this study could be categorized into two factors; circumstantial factors(bankruptcy after IMF, debt guarantee for relatives) and inner factors(the participants' behavior and characteristics). The circumstantial factors worked mainly in the trigger stage and the inner factors contributed to worsening economic crisis and facilitating the progress. According to the result, this study suggests not only individual-scale measures such as encouragement of familial bond or medical treatment of the alcoholism but also social measures including proper regulation of shark loan and opportunity supply to exit from poverty.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.37
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• pp.7-42
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• 2007

There has been growing debate over the current crisis of Korean journalism especially since 1997. While identifying primary causes as 'lack of credibility and public accountability,' however, this paper claims that self-regulation initiated by enlightened and professionalized journalists is a plausible solution. This paper thus pays attention to U.S. graduate journalism schools which provide specialized program about business/economic/financial news. For this, in identifying commonalities of the programs in terms of education goals, geographical/academic resources and course works, this study wanted to elicit meaningful implications for media education. It was suggested in conclusion that not only would Seoul be an ideal place for combining theoretical and practical training, but such programs in New York and Columbia university might be creatively applied to Korean journalism school. Finally, the author hopes that this review will be a good starting point for envisioning graduate level of journalism school in Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9319-9325
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• 2014

Alkaloids are the most extensively featured compounds of natural anti-tumor herbs, which have attracted much attention in pharmaceutical research. In our previous studies, a mixture of major three alkaloid components (5, 6-dihydrobicolorine, 7-deoxy-trans-dihydronarciclasine, littoraline) from Hymenocallis littoralis were extracted, analyzed and designated as AHL. In this paper, AHL extracts were added to human liver hepatocellular cells HepG-2, human gastric cancer cell SGC-7901, human breast adenocarcinoma cell MCF-7 and human umbilical vein endothelial cell EVC-304, to screen one or more AHL-sensitive tumor cell. Among these cells, HepG-2 was the most sensitive to AHL treatment, a very low dose ($0.8{\mu}g/ml$) significantly inhibiting proliferation. The non-tumor cell EVC-304, however, was not apparently affected. Effect of AHL on HepG-2 cells was then explored. We found that the AHL could cause HepG-2 cycle arrest at G2/M checkpoint, induce apoptosis, and interrupt polymerization of microtubules. In addition, expression of two cell cycle-regulated proteins, CyclinB1 and CDK1, was up-regulated upon AHL treatment. Up-regulation of the Fas, Fas ligand, Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 was observed as well, which might imply roles for the Fas/FsaL signaling pathway in the AHL-induced apoptosis of HepG-2 cells.