• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.131-144
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• 2019

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to investigate market power of soybeans exported by the United States to Korea. Particularly, this paper considered dichotomous characteristics of genetically modified (GM) soybeans and non-GM soybeans and conducted empirical analysis of these two segregated soybean markets to understand key tenets of market power in international soybean trade. Design/methodology - The difference in market power between GM and non-GM soybeans was analyzed using Residual Demand Elasticity (RDE) and Residual Supply Elasticity (RSE) models over the period of 2008~2018. RDE and RSE models under an imperfect competition condition were used to estimate market margins and determine whether GM and non-GM exporters or importers exercised market power in the destination market. Findings - Empirical results suggested that the U.S. had a market power on both GM and non-GM soybean exports. GM exports had greater market power than non-GM exports (14% vs. 9%). By contrast, Korea showed an inability to grab market margin or exert market power in soybean imports. Both export supply by the U.S. and import demand by Korea were found to be more responsive to price changes of GM soybeans than to prices changes of non-GM soybeans. This might be due to a self-interested, profit-seeking strategy by the exporter and many concerned consumers regarding potential adverse effects of GMOs in the importing country. Originality/value - This paper fills the literature gap by exploiting market power in both GM and non-GM markets with explicit consideration of price correlations between GM and non-GM soybeans in Korea. A number of existing studies have provided evidence for market power broadly embedded in international commodity trade. However, studies focusing on Korean markets are limited. No study has explored the country's soybean trade. Furthermore, the majority of prior studies have almost exclusively focused on the market power from a standpoint of exporting countries without discussing importers' market structure. This paper also sought to understand potentially distinguished patterns of market power between GM and non-GM markets.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.560-566
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• 2016

Imports of genetically modified (GM) soybeans (Glycine max) for food or feed consumption in Korea have been increasing. Although the cultivation of GM soybeans has not yet been allowed in Korea, the number of field tests for GM soybeans has also been rising. This study was conducted to investigate whether herbicide tolerant GM soybean can survive and persist in uncultivated environments when they escape from transportation routes or from isolated fields. Seeds of GM and non-GM soybeans and wild soybeans (Glycine soja) were buried in 2 and 15 cm soil depths and their viability was examined after 1, 2, 6, and 10 months. GM and non-GM soybean seeds completely lost their viability within six months of burial, whereas seeds of wild soybean maintained their viability during the study period. Seeds of soybean and wild soybeans that were sown on the soil surface germinated and grew to vegetative cotyledon stage. Seedlings of GM and non-GM soybean did not compete well with weeds, including Cerastium glomeratum, Alopecurus aequalis var. amurensis, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Conyza canadensis, Stellaria aquatica, and Erigeron annuus. Also, GM soybean did not survive through winter. However, wild soybeans competed well with the weeds and became dominant in August. Herbicide tolerant GM soybean is unlikely to persist under uncultivated environments and to become weeds.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.556-560
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• 2003

It was determined whether the sandwich ELISA using specific anti-CP4 EPSPS polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, developed in the previous study, could be applied to detect GM soybean or not. The soybeans (47 imported and 20 domestic soybeans) were analyzed by a sandwich ELISA. The results of imported soybeans were divided into two groups which were high contents $(39.1{\pm}13.5\;{\mu}g/g,\;n=33)$ and low contents of CP4 EPSPS $(2.6{\pm}1.2\;{\mu}g/g,\;n=14)$. The ratio of GM in imported soybeans was about 70.2%. One the other hand, the contents of CP4 EPSPS in domestic soybeans was very low $(0.9{\pm}0.5\;{\mu}g/g,\;n=20)$ which determined to be non-GM soybeans. In case of soybean sprouts, the contents of CP4 EPSPS in soybean sprouts were different between GM and non-GM soybean sprout. The CP4 EPSPS in cotyledon of GM soybeans sprout was higher than that in root hair. The contents of CP4 EPSPS in soybeans sprout of domestic soybeans were very low. Thus, it was possible to determine that the soybeans sprout was made of GM or non-GM soybeans. Also, PCR experiment showed that the sandwich ELISA was accurate to distinguish the soybeans to be GM or non-GM. These results showed the sandwich ELISA could determine the soybeans were GM or non-GM, rapidly and simply.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.815-827
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• 2020

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) transgenic soybean was developed and biosynthesis of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) in soybean seeds was confirmed. Also, EGF transgenic soybean were found to contain a herbicide resistance selectable marker by introduction of phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) gene from the Streptomyces hygroscopicus. For biosafety assessment, the EGF transgenic soybean expressing the EGF biosynthesis gene EGF and herbicide resistant gene PAT was tested to determine effects on survival of Cyprinus carpio, commonly used as a model organism in ecotoxicological studies. C. carpio was fed 100% ground soybean suspension, EGF soybean or non-genetically modified (GM) counterpart soybean (Gwangan). Gene expression of EGF soybean was confirmed by PCR and ELISA to have EGF/PAT. Feeding test showed that no significant differences in cumulative immobility or abnormal response between C. carpio samples fed on EGF soybean and non-GM counterpart soybean. The 48 h-EC50 values of the EGF and non-GM soybean were 1,688 mg·L-1 (95% confidence limits: 1,585 - 1,798 mg·L-1) and 1,575 mg·L-1 (95% confidence limits: 1,433 - 1,731 mg·L-1), respectively. The soybean NOEC (no observed effect concentration) value for C. carpio was suggested to be 625 mg·L-1. We concluded that there was no significant difference in toxicity for non-target organisms (C. carpio) between the EGF soybean and non-GM counterparts.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.828-832
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• 2004

Enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to quantify soy protein in fresh soybean curd (bean curd) produced by combination of genetically modified (GM) and genetically not modified (non-GM) soybeans. Antibodies against 113 and 24 kDa proteins, which appeared only in non-GM bean curd (specific band), and in both non-GM and GM bean curds (non-specific band) based on SDS-PAGE results, were prepared by immunization to rabbit. Through ELISA using either antibody, GM bean curd protein content was determined at dilution rates of $10^{-1}-10^{-6}$. Standard curve showing relationship between ELISA optical density and non-GM protein content was produced using antibody against 113 kDa protein at protein dilution between $10^{-7}\;to\;10^{-6}$, highly antigen content-dependent dilution. Bean curd prepared by random combinations of GM and non-GM soybeans were analyzed by ELISA, and standard curve was produced. Results reveal non-GM protein content of bean curd could be quantified with higher than 93% accuracy.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.256-261
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• 2001

Allergenicity of genetically-modified (GM) soybean was evaluated in male Sprague Dawley rats. To confirm the GM soybean used in this study, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the chromosomal DNA of soybeans. The PCR result provided the clear discrimination of genetically-modified (GM) soybeans. To evaluate the allergenicity of GM soybean and non-GM control one, the soybean homogenate was sensitized subcutaneously 3 times a week for 3 weeks. The doses of soybean were 0, 2 and 20 mg/kg in the protein basis. A week after the last sensitization, antisera were recovered from individual animals. When the sera were injected intradermally on the clipped back of unsensitized rats with various dilutions, followed by a challenge with 20 mg/kg of soybean homogenate containing 1% Evans blue, no sign of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction was detected. In addition, when the sera were treated in the cultures of peritoneal mast cells, the increase of histamine release by anti-(GM soybean) sera was not observed when compared to that by anti-(non-GM soybean) sera. The present results indicate that the GM soybean might not act as a strong allergen in male Sprague Dawley rats.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.875-890
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• 2021

In order to confirm the safety of a genetically modified organism (GMO), we assess its potential toxicity on non-target insects and spiders. In this study, the effects of GM soybean, a type of vitamin-A-enhanced transgenic soybean with tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate, were assessed under a field condition. The study compared this vitamin-A-enhanced transgenic soybean and a non-GM soybean (Gwangan) in a living modified organism (LMO) isolated field of Kyungpook National University (Gunwi) and the National Institute Agricultural Sciences (Jeonju) in the Republic of Korea in 2019 - 2020. In total, 207,760 individual insects and arachnids, representing 81 families and 13 orders, were collected during the study. From the two types of soybean fields, corresponding totals of 105,765 and 101,995 individuals from the vitamin-A-enhanced transgenic soybean and Gwangan samples areas were collected. An analysis of variance indicated no significant differences (p < 0.05). A multivariate analysis showed that the dominance and richness outcomes of plant-dwelling insects were similar. The data on insect species population densities were subjected to a principal component analysis (PCA) and an orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), which did not distinguish between the two varieties, i.e., the vitamin-A-enhanced transgenic soybean and the non-GM soybean in any cultivated field. However, the results of the PCA analysis could be divided overall into four groups based on the yearly survey areas. Therefore, there was no evidence for the different impact of vitamin A-enhanced transgenic soybean on the above-ground insects and spiders compared to non-GM soybean.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.791-802
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• 2020

Theoredoxin (TRX) transgenic soybeans were developed using the human Theoredoxin gene under the control of the ��-conglycinin promoter with a selection marker, the phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) gene. This study was done to assess the acute toxicity of a genetically modified (GM) soybean using the fresh water planktonic crustacean Daphnia magna. The acute toxicity effect of the TRX soybean and non-GM soybean (Gwangan) on D. magna was investigated at different concentrations (0, 156, 313, 625, 1,250, 2,500, and 5,000 mg·L-1). The TRX soybean used for the test was confirmed to express the TRX/PAT genes by PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). D. magna feeding tests showed no significant differences in the cumulative immobility or an abnormal response with either the TRX soybean or non-GM soybean. The feeding study showed a similar abnormal response and cumulative immobility of the D. magna between the TRX soybean and Gwangan treatments. Additionally, the 48 h-EC50 values for the TRX and Gwangan soybeans were 755.6 and 778 mg·L-1, respectively. The soybean NOEC (no observed effect concentration) value for D. magna was suggested to be 156 mg·L-1. These results suggest that there is no significant difference in toxicity to Daphnia magna between the TRX soybean and its non-GM counterpart.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.560-564
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• 2011

Two feeding experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of dietary inclusion of genetically modified (GM) soybean and corn on the growth performance, feed utilization and body composition of juvenile abalone Haliotis discus hannai. Four isonitrogenous (31% crude protein) and isolipidic (6% crude lipid) diets (designated as nGM-soya, GM-soya, nGM-corn and GM-corn) were formulated to contain 20% non-GM (nGM) and GM soya and corn. Fifty juvenile abalone (initial body weight, 2.0 g) were distributed in each 50 L tank in a flow-through system. Each experimental diet was fed to duplicate groups of abalone to satiation once a day for 10 weeks. No effects of GM feedstuffs on survival were observed. Dietary inclusion of GM feedstuffs did not affect either growth performance or feed utilization of abalone. Body composition was not altered by the inclusion of GM feedstuffs. These results indicate that dietary inclusion of GM soybean and corn could have no effect on the growth performance and body composition of juvenile abalone. Further studies to investigate the effects of GM feedstuffs on transgenic fragment residues in ambient environments and in animals are necessary for the safe use of such ingredients in aquaculture.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.301-308
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• 2009

Higher agricultural commodity prices are a particular concern for food importing countries like Korea that has a very low self-sufficiency ratio. Korean people eat approximately 4.5 million metric tons of rice each year, which is met without a problem by domestic production. The domestic production of corn and soybean which are important raw materials for commercial food processing and livestock feed is only minimal. Demands of corn and soybean in Korea are approximately 7.2 million and 1.3 million metric tons per year, respectively. Since Korean consumers are reluctant to accept biotech (GM) foods, Korean food processors are fighting an up-hill battle in purchasing non-biotech (non- GM) crops which are becoming scarce.