• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.873-893
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• 2008

This article focuses on reviewing place branding theories as a major toolkit of 'soft regional development'. Place branding provides sophisticate methodologies to strengthen city and regional image and identity. For effective place marketing practices, four of useful place branding tools are suggested. They include the methodology of place identity development, brand leadership system in local governance, construction of city brand architecture, and evaluation model for city brand equity. A process model is suggested for systematically organizing the diverse tools of place marketing and branding. The model is expected to be used as a framework of strategical soft regional development and planning. The place branding process model is to be an important theoretical and methodological basement of postmodern urban and regional development on which creativity, symbol and signs are more emphasized. More in-depth theoretical and empirical studies are needed. Geographical tradition and knowledge can play important roles in this inter-disciplinary process.

• Korea and Global Affairs
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.183-220
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• 2019

Nowadays, soft power is playing a more important role in international communication and cooperation, and as cultural exchange in regional cooperation is deeply influenced by national soft powers, the development is usually unbalanced. Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar are adjacent to each other with a long history of intercourse. In the year 2013, initiation of constructing Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor advocated by China and India was responded positively by Bangladesh and Myanmar. Since then, the world has witnessed an increasing connection of these four countries. Being the critical bond connecting the southwestern areas of China and Bangladesh, India as well as Myanmar, Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor is characterized by multiple regional cultures along with frequent connections in cultural products and activities. However, cultural exchange now is dominated by imbalanced development due to potent soft power of China and India that these two countries export more cultural products to the rest, which has an impact in many fields of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Priority should be given to coordinated development in cultural exchange regarding the construction of Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor. Only by developing a sustainable development mechanism for cultural exchange, to coordinate the influences of soft powers of these four countries, then a fine complexion of "all flowers are in bloom" can be created, returning to five original intention of the construction of this economic corridor: "Policy Communication" and "Strength People-to-people Ties", etc.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.69-78
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• 2012

Korean population has been rapidly aging. Most of people regard the aging population as future crisis due to the rate of change and agree to prepare for a soft-landing on aging society in South Korea. Particularly, the aging population growth in rural areas is much faster than urban areas. Also rural areas relatively have poorer social and economic conditions so the countermeasures for population aging considering related social and economic indices are required. Moreover, each rural region has the different preparedness level for rural aging based on regional socio-economic characteristics. In this study, we analyzed correlations of the rural aging rate and local characteristics and developed an evaluation index to show the regional preparedness status for rural aging. To test the applicability of developed indicators, we applied them to 161 rural regions and assessed regional preparedness level for rural aging. This study would provide basic data for establishing policies for rural aging.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.553-567
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• 2011

Since their establishment in 1999, Regional Development Agencies in England have been a critical catalyst for sustaining regional development, by linking the central government and the region. Nevertheless, the new Coalition Government formed in May 2010 is to abolish RDAs and is to be replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships(LEP). This article looks at the performance and the present reform process of the English Regional Development Agencies(RDA). It argues that RDAs have been a sort of laboratory to expose the possibility of realizing the new regionalist approach away from the government-centered approach. Nevertheless, the case of RDAs in England shows that the RDA model is less likely to be effective without substantial devolution. It shows that the extent to which RDAs contribute to the regional economy tends to be much higher in soft infra-centered projects, such as business supports and skills development, than physical infrastructure projects. It argues that the LEP model, which is to replace RDAs, is controversial, especially in terms of spatial boundary and financial structure.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.211-222
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• 2007

This paper aims to evaluate the new regional development policy which is entirely focused on the lagging rural regions in Korea. The new regional development, called the shin-hwal-ryuk policy is to reflect the radical change in the idea and philosophy of rural development. Although traditional rural development policies were top-down-based and physical infrastructure-centered, the new rural development policy idea is based on bottom-up and soft infrastructure which is related to the promotion of regional innovation capacities. However, it is revealed that the new rural policy involves a variety of problems in the process of establishing and making progress the policy plan in a local level. In the operating process of the policy plan, the central government has shown too quick-tempered for achieving visible outcomes, while many of local government suffer from the lacks of professional capabilities to carry out the plan. I see that as a result of the mixture of these problems the new policy is regarded as 'passively localized process' by the central government rather than 'actively localizing process' by the region for building regional innovation capacity.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.237-253
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• 2022

This article offers an account of how regional development policy in Korea has evolved under the influence of actor-networks comprising the cultural circuit of soft capitalism. In so doing, the roles played by transnational actor-networks forged between global consulting firms and national business media are emphasized. For this discussion, the waning of spatial Keynesianism in the country is contextualized in the first place, with particular attention to changing planning goals of key regional development policies including consultancies, influential policy gurus (e.g., Michael Porter and Richard Florida), and local business media outlet Maekyong are found to be key movers and shakers in the transition. These empirical findings call for striking a balance between dominant structuralist accounts and emerging actor-oriented approaches, and also help shed a new light on the dualistic conceptualization of managerialist and entrepreneurial governance in a way that the latter may be a new form of the former.

• Agribusiness and Information Management
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2011

The main goal of this study is to show promising future food market of Northeast Asia countries, including China, Japan, and South Korea. Drinks market, including soft and alcoholic drinks is selected to show global food companies new opportunities for next strategic movements. Market Attractiveness Matrix is developed based on BCG matrix as a main framework for this study. CDI (Category Development Index) is also used. It is found that Asia-pacific has fast-growing markets and it has strong potential for future investment. Northeast Asia countries (China, Japan, and South Korea) turned out to be ones of the most attractive regional markets. However, European drinks market is saturated even though its size is still big. This study suggests that Northeast Asian market be considered a market for the next strategic movement and investment.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.45-68
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• 2014

This research addressed improvement directions and problems of regional science and technology(S&T) policies in Daegu and Gyungbuk regions in terms of 'Creative Economy' which was a new paradigm of Park Gunhye Government. Creative Economy stressed the construction of an ecosystem in regional research and development activities, and thus it was deeply associated with building a regional innovation system(RIS). There were several problems to strengthen RIS with regional S&T policies of the regions as follows: limits in meeting regional needs due to excessive attraction of central government's projects into regions; the high ratio of programs for future basic research potentials; the lack of programs assessing and coordinating the policies; and the lack of experiences and expenditure of research institutes and firm supporting organizations. Due to these problems, the role of the policies in building RIS did not seem to be effective. Therefore, the policies need to be improved through the following measures: the expansion of regional own policies focusing regional needs; the enhancement of policy coordination by shifting to systematic approach; the expansion of soft supporting programs for constructing innovation systems; and the enhancement of stability and ability of research institutes and firm supporting organizations.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.10
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• pp.249-257
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• 2021

Industrial agglomeration policy is a strategy that is expected to accelerate economic growth to transform an impoverished region into a prosperous one. However, industrial agglomeration also has the potential to exacerbate development inequality due to the concentration of economic development activities in certain areas. Therefore, this study aims to investigate what strategies are best to minimize the adverse effects of industrial agglomeration. This study uses econometric analysis with panel data covering 38 districts/cities in East Java during the 2011-2019 period. The results showed that the combination of industrial agglomeration policies coupled with accelerated sectoral growth, hard infrastructure development, and soft infrastructure provided the best policy outcome, improving regional inequality and accelerating economic growth in East Java. Based on the analysis, we find that East Java's economic growth characteristics are convergent but relatively long. Therefore, the East Java economic development policy during 2010-2019 should be reviewed due to the relatively long convergence period. Furthermore, this study also found that industrial agglomeration slows down the convergence and economic growth of East Java. In the future, the deployment of Industrial Development Centers (PPI) outside the existing eight districts/cities is needed to accelerate the spread of economic activity in East Java.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.75-96
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• 2012

China will replace the global governance of the 21st century in 2050. The rise of China provide the Chinese development model to other developing countries. There are positive element and disability element in China's 'peaceful rise' strategy at the same time. Success of the reform and opening up, market liberalization, economic interdependency, economic globalization, stability of ruling power, consolidation of one-party rule and soft power increase are the promotions of peaceful rise. China's rise as a power nation begins by regaining the superpower status in East Asia. East Asia is a lebensraum assuring a continuing growth to China. For this lebensraum, China shows an interest in institutionalization of regional economic cooperation. The core values of ASEAN, namely the mutual respect, harmonious coexistence, co-prosperity, egalitarianism and pluralism are in conform to China's policy of harmonious world and peaceful coexistence. Through this common value the tension in East Asia will be alleviated. By the regional hegemony strategy based on soft power and economic success, China will try to regain the past glorious position. Attaining status as a coordinator of the world rule will be based on the success of the East Asian strategy. Korea and other neighboring countries will be the best beneficiary countries of the China's rise strategy. China's rising strategy will have a profound effect on neighboring countries especially, Korea. The scale of the movement of goods, labor, and capital between the two countries will become much larger than present. Through regional trade agreements, economic interdependency between Korea and China will increase.