• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.18-34
• /
• 2020

This study aims to investigate Dongdaemun fashion industry once thrived in Seoul, now in a rapid decline. For this purpose, three research themes are put forward. That is, to fix the boundary of Dongdaemun fashion industry, to analyze the characteristics of its value chain, production network and industrial agglomeration, and to search for the cause of its decline and to suggest political solutions against it. The following is the findings of this study. Firstly, Dongdaemun fashion industry has spreaded out over the last six decades and now its boundary can be marked within a radius of 10 kilometers of Dongdaemun Market in northeastern Seoul. Secondly, Dongdaemun fashion industry has a buyer-driven chain and star production network, and therefore can be assumed that it is spatially segmented industrial agglomeration. Lastly, its rapid decline is directly from the shrink of market demand on Dondaemun fashion, and inherently in the topological structure of its star production network. Thus the feasible political solutions can be found in that direction. Consequently, these results have academic implications for clearing up some previous studies' misunderstandings and getting over one of the long-criticized research biases that pervades in industrial agglomeration theory, primarily focusing on the successful regions.