• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.93-110
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• 1990

The basic purpose behind the Korean government's policy toward the Korean deep sea fishing industry is to limit growth of the industry. Therefore, the regulations on the industry are generally restrictive and interventionist. The policy is intended to maintain high domestic fish prices in order to protect the domestic coastal fishing industry. Some regulations have also been introduced to maintain "industrial order." Each fishing vessel must obtain a government permit for operation. The permit specifies the kind of fish it can catch, the area of sea in which it can operate, and the port at which it can unload its catches. The number of permits government issues each year is based on the estimates of the demand increase calculated by government officials, and the government traditionally has been fairly conservative in its estimation, reflecting its concern for fish price stabilization, which actually implies a gradual increase of the prices. There is also a restriction on importing vessels from abroad. This regulation is intended to protect the domestic shipbuilding industry. However, this regulation has resulted in an unusually high average age of Korean fishing vessels, causing fishing costs to rise. These regulations and the inflexible response of the regulators to changing circumstances have resulted in many problems: i) high domestic fish prices, which are, to some extent deliberately, inflated to three or four times the level of international prices, resulting in huge consumer welfare losses; ii) over-exploitation of coastal fish resources; iii) provision of a hospitable environment for inefficient firms to survive, which is especially evident from the fact that, despite the high fish prices in Korea, most of the firms in the industry do not enjoy high profitability. It also must be pointed out that the actual beneficiaries of the high fish prices are the large operators, who are protected from competition and provide most of the fish for domestic consumption, rather than the low-income fishing households and small coastal operators whom the policy was originally designed to help. This study proposes a set of regulatory reforms and policy changes which could Promote competition and equity within the industry and allow firms to reduce costs and increase productivity. Such changes can make the industry more efficient and internationally competitive. Major proposals are, among others: minimization of bureaucratic discretion in issuing fishing permits and maintaining transparency in the governments' decision-making processes; reduction of the government permit specifications and simplification of the operational categories within the industry; and removal of the restrictions on importing foreign fishing vessels.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.44
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• pp.7-35
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• 2015

The objective of this article is to inform and document the contemporary development of the private security industry in Queensland Australia, a premier holiday destination that provide entertainment for the larger region. The purpose of this review is to examine the comtemporary development of mandated licensing regimes regulating the industry, and the necessary reform agenda. The overall aim is threefold: first, to chart the main outcomes of the two-wave of reforms since the mid-'90s; second, to examine the effectiveness of changes in modes of regulation; and third, to identify the criteria that can be considered a best practice based on Button(2012) and Prenzler and Sarre's(2014) criteria. The survey of the Queensland regulatory regime has demonstrated that, despite the federal-guided reforms, there remain key areas where further initiatives remain pending, markedly case-by-case utilisation of more proactive strategies such as on-site alcohol/drug testing, psychological evaluations, and checks on close associates; lack of binding training arrangement for technical services providers; and targeted auditing of licensed premises and the vicinity of venues by the Office of Fair Trading, a licensing authority. The study has highlighted the need for more determined responses and active engagements in these priority areas. This study of the development of the licensing regimes in Queensland Australia provides useful insights for other jurisdictions including South Korea on how to better manage licensing system, including the measures required to assure an adequate level of professional competence in the industry. It should be noted that implementing a consistency in delivery mode and assessment in training was the strategic imperative for the Australian authority to intervene in the industry as part of stimulating police-private partnerships. Of particular note, competency elements have conventionally been given a low priority in South Korea, as exemplified through the lack of government-sponsored certificate; this is an area South Korean policymakers must assume an active role in implementing accredited scheme, via consulting transnational templates, including Australian qualifications framework.