• SUVANNABHUMI
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.255-275
• /
• 2023

Trade between South Korea and Malaysia has been steadily increasing since the conclusion of the multilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Korea. Bilateral FTAs such as Singapore-South Korea, Vietnam-South Korea, and Indonesia-South Korea came into effect to enhance the economic cooperation between South Korea and major ASEAN countries. However, the bilateral FTA between South Korea and Malaysia, known as Republic of Korea-Malaysia FTA, is still under negotiation. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the economic impact of a possible FTA between these two countries. To examine the economic effects of bilateral FTAs, this study analyzes the trade structure and change in the value of trade between Malaysia and South Korea using panel data analysis. Two significant findings were identified by the analysis. First, the Republic of Korea-Malaysia FTA is expected to promote trade and have a positive effect on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of South Korea. Second, the result of the calculated price elasticity based on substituting figures such as tariff, demand elasticity, and export value is that the value of manufacturing exports is expected to considerably get an increase. Therefore, an early FTA between South Korea and Malaysia would be beneficial for both national economies.

• Journal of Korea Trade
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.1-19
• /
• 2020

Purpose - This study empirically analyzes the effects of provisional anti-dumping duties levied on imports by Korea following anti-dumping investigations. An anti-dumping duty is a legal tool that countries use to impose duties on imports to offset injurious dumping. This study verifies how effective the imposition of a provisional anti-dumping duty is and whether such duties have trade chilling effects on aggregate imports. Specifically, this study examines import trade diversion from named to unnamed countries caused by the imposition of provisional anti-dumping duties. Design/methodology - This empirical analysis employs an econometric model of provisional anti-dumping measures for cases in which Korea imposed final affirmative anti-dumping measures. We construct a monthly panel dataset for each stage of anti-dumping investigation undertaken by Korea for all manufacturing industries during 1995-2013. We illustrate a stage-by-stage analysis of anti-dumping investigations from initiation, preliminary decision, imposition of provisional duty, final affirmative decision, and imposition of final affirmative duty on a monthly basis at the six-digit harmonized system code-level. Findings - For cases in which provisional duties are imposed, the reduction in imports from named countries outweighs the increase in imports from unnamed countries. The substantial reduction in imports from named countries is large enough to offset the import diversion to unnamed countries, suggesting that import diversion in investigations is limited during the investigation period. Therefore, the use of provisional anti-dumping duties in Korea is effective, providing evidence of a chilling effect on aggregate imports. Originality/value - Few studies examine the size of the effects on import trade diversion of the imposition of provisional anti-dumping duties. We contribute to the literature by disentangling separate trade effects for each phase of the anti-dumping investigation process and imposition of provisional duty.

• Journal of Korea Trade
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.145-158
• /
• 2019

Purpose - Alliance members have constantly revised market strategies over time by withdrawing membership from a current alliance, joining another alliance, or constructing a new alliance. From the perspective of the signaling effect, the purpose of this study is to analyze the impacts of partner volatility (new member, old member, and new group) on firm value. Design/methodology - To analyze the impact of partner volatility on firm value, companies in strategic alliances are classified into the three groups of new partner, existing partner, and new alliance, and the effects on company value are verified through an event study and the signaling effect analysis. Findings - This study proved that new partners and newly formed strategic alliances have higher expectation effects than old partner company groups, and have a more positive effect on the relevant firms' stock prices. In addition, the result of the study showed the same valid results as the alliance levels, and showed that investors' expectations were higher with new partners and new alliances than with old partners. Research Implications - A new perspective on the signaling effects of strategic alliances among shipping lines was presented in this study by grouping alliance types including new member, old member, and new group. The results provide useful insights for selecting partners and firm values of alliance announcement times. Originality/value - This study analyzed partner volatility on relevant companies' stock prices from the perspective of investors from the global shipping conference reorganization in 2017. Strategic alliances were classified into the three categories of new partner, old partner, and new alliance, and the effects on firm value were verified.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.199-214
• /
• 2022

This study aims to quantify the value of origin among CPTPP and Korea, under the assumption that the 'cumulation' clause has large economic effects in multilateral FTAs and increase the possibility of improving FTA utilization. Analysing the relationship between value-added exports and FTA utilization rate, there is a positive correlation between the two variables, and the cumulation of multilateral production of CPTPP is expected to increase Korea's value-added exports. In the GTAP-VA model, the target of cumulation is calculated as 'Domestic Value Added', and all value-added of CPTPP are cumulated in the form of value added exports of exporting country. When Korea participates in CPTPP, it is possible to cumulate additional 6.3~9.6% value added, and the agreements with low FTA export utilization rates such as New Zealand, ASEAN would have greater economic effects of cumulation. For the successful implementation of CPTPP in Korea, it is necessary to develop a new origin verification system that enables multilateral value-added cumulation. It is time to seek cooperation with countries currently participating in CPTPP to prove the value added inherent in CPTPP-originating products.

• Journal of Korea Trade
• /
• v.24 no.8
• /
• pp.1-18
• /
• 2020

Purpose - This paper examines how differently output and input tariffs affect domestic employment across industrial characteristics of comparative advantage such as labor quality and capital intensity. Design/methodology - The paper focuses on 453 Korean industries from 2007 to 2014 because Korea is a typical example of a natural resource-scarce open economy and experienced the transition of the export pattern from labor intensity to technology intensity during this period. Findings - The results show that input tariff reduction stimulated total employment, focusing on the early 2010s, while the effects of output tariff reduction were statistically insignificant in general. However, the stimulation effects of output tariff reduction on employment were found in comparative advantage industries with greater labor quality and capital intensity. As for input tariff reduction, its stimulation effects on employment were more prominent in comparative disadvantage industries with lower labor quality and capital intensity. Originality/value - These results provide significant implications for natural resource-scarce open economies which are experiencing the transition of the export pattern from labor intensity to technology intensity and the unequal distribution of income after trade liberalization: imported intermediate inputs has become increasing important, leading to trade effects on employment and alleviation of income inequality.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.54-60
• /
• 2014

The coffee industry has grown very fast ever since international coffee brands were launched in the 1990's. Recently, consumers have begun to focus on coffee produced ethically. This phenomenon is due to ethical-consumption consciousness, which consists of three factors, emotional value, social value and function value. Most studies on this topic have focused on consumers who purchase fair-trade coffee. Thus, this study is novel in its focus on baristas who sell fairtrade coffee in their shops as well as differences from former studies. The three factors of ethical-consumption consciousness of baristas affected the sale of fair-trade coffee, except for the function value. Therefore, the sale of fair-trade coffee could be influenced by ethical-consumption consciousness of baristas. This study shows that education of baristas can promote the sale of fair-trade coffee. However, there are limitations as it only researched coffee brands ranked in the top 5, so further studies will be required in the future.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.233-254
• /
• 2022

Although there is growing literature evidence of linkages between global value chains (GVCs) and foreign direct investment (FDI), the results are mixed and ambiguous by geographic dimension, time period and sectoral scope. Moreover, bilateral approaches on these connections have been rarely analyzed. In this context, we investigate the effect of bilateral greenfield FDI and cross-border M&A on GVC linkages between host countries and source countries. We match three-year averages of bilateral FDI and UNCTAD-Eora GVC value-added data from 2005 to 2019 between 37 OECD sources and 176 host countries (37 OECD versus 139 non-OECD countries). In the structural gravity model, the empirical specification includes bilateral and country-period fixed effects and uses a Poisson Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood (PPML) estimator. We find that greenfield and M&A FDI promote forward and backward GVC linkage for all sectors between OECD countries, whereas greenfield FDI promotes backward GVC linkage between OECD and non-OECD countries. In addition, the results indicate that the degree of influence of GVCs by FDI flows is greater for forward GVC than backward GVC among OECD countries.

• Journal of Korea Trade
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.22-46
• /
• 2023

Purpose - study aims to investigate the relationships between global value chain (GVC)- and transportation-related determinants and economic performance. Also, moderating effects of COVID-19 on the relationships are theoretically and empirically discussed. A limitation of previous studies includes their over-reliance on the opportunities of GVC participation and larger transportation. This study represents the challenges associated with them. Also, it shows how GVC and logistics can be difficult in case of a market fluctuation such as COVID-19. Design/methodology - The sample for this study includes 828 observations from 138 countries. A semi-panel data set has been used. Six observations for each country are used to empirically test the hypotheses and a Two-way cluster model is conducted. Findings - It is confirmed that GVC forward participation contributes more than the backward participation to enhance performance. Transportation infrastructure is critical, but large scales of marine and air transportations are not positive in terms of economic performance. Stricter government response to COVID-19 negatively moderates economic performance by GVC backward participation and transportation infrastructure. Originality/value - The spread of COVID-19 is causing a severe collapse of GVC and transportation. This study empirically verifies the moderating effects of the government stringency on GVC and transportation. Previous studies usually discuss a positive impact of GVC and transportation size on economic performance. However, this study aims to show various challenges behind GVC participation and large scale transportation.

• Journal of Korea Trade
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.88-107
• /
• 2021

Purpose - Using a model that highlights Ricardian comparative advantage and Cournot competition, I derive theoretical predictions on how bilateral measures of trade intensity, specialization, and intra-industry are interrelated, and how Ricardian productivity differences affect these measures. We test the predictions using trade and production data, and confirm them. Design/methodology - A simple two-country general equilibrium model is constructed to derive theory-based bilateral indexes. We then test the relationships among them using panel data for 35 countries and 14 industries between 1996 and 2008. Findings - Bilateral trade intensity is increasing in specialization, as in the classical trade theory, and in intra-industry trade, as in the new trade theory. However, productivity differences positively affect specialization, and negatively affect intra-industry trade. These effects cancel each other; thus productivity differences have little impact on trade intensity. Originality/value - This paper provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding the relationship among trade intensity, specialization, intra-industry trade, and productivity differences. We derive theory-consistent measures of specialization, intra-industry trade, and productivity differences. Moreover, we reevaluate the empirical relevance of these variables for the study of gravity equations. This paper is also an effort to capture oligopolistic competition in a general equilibrium framework, interests in which recently resurged.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.277-296
• /
• 2017

More than 95% of imports and exports in the World are being transported by vessels. In other words, marine transportation accounts for a large portion of share in the world trade. The purpose of this study is to analyze factors of seaborne trade volume according to items affecting on the world economy. This study conducted a linear regression analysis between seaborne trade volume and the world economy (world GDP) to estimate the correlation between them. Panel data analysis and random effects model analysis have been applied to examine the effect of seaborne trade volume. For this study, the seaborne trade volume is categorized into 10 items, and estimated how much global GDP will be affected when the trade volume changes. In addition, the granger causality test was conducted to verify the relationship between seaborne trade volume and the world GDP. As a result, seaborne trade volume and the world GDP were mutually influenced each other. However, seaborne trade volume affects the world economy more significantly. The items affecting world economic growth include petroleum products, crude oil, chemical products, and so on. The estimated value of the coefficients of petroleum products, crude oil and chemical products were 1.014, 1.013 and 1.010, respectively. The estimated value 1.014 of petroleum products means that the growth rate is 1.014 times higher than the current world GDP growth rate when the seaborne trade volume of petroleum products increased by one unit Lastly, this study examines the seaborne trade volume of 10 categories and then verifies whether the growth rate of world GDP will increase when the volume of seaborne trade increased. This study is expected to provide policy-makers with useful information about formulating policies related to international trade.