수입소비재(輸入消費財) 유통구조(流通構造)의 효율화(效率化) 방안(方案)

An Analysis of the Imported Consumer Goods Distribution Sector of Korea: From a Vertical Structure Viewpoint

80년대에 들어서 본격화된 개방정책(開放政策)의 결과 대부분의 소비재(消費財)가 수입가능품목(輸入可能品目)이 되었고 이에 따라 소비재(消費財)의 수입(輸入)은 급격한 증가추세를 보이고 있으며 이 추세는 당분간 지속될 것으로 전망된다. 본고(本稿)에서는 우리나라의 수입소비재(輸入消費財) 유통구조(流通構造)의 현황(現況)을 분석하고 가격상승 및 후생감소를 야기시키는 문제점을 파악하며 이의 개선방안(改善方案)을 모색해 보았다. 본고(本稿)에서는 기존의 연구와는 달리 수입소비재(輸入消費財) 유통구조(流通構造)를 국제시장(國際市場)-수입단계(輸入段階)-국내(國內) 도(都) 소매단계(小賣段階)의 수직적 구조로 파악하고 이 수직적 구조를 구성하는 각 수평단계의 산업조직 및 수평단계를 연결하는 수직적 관계를 중심으로 하여 가격결정과정과 문제점을 분석하였다. 수입소비재(輸入消費財) 유통구조(流通構造)의 수평단계는 상품(商品) 및 지역(地域)에 의해 차별화된 독점적 경쟁 시장으로 볼 수 있으며, 수평단계간에는 대리점계약(代理店契約)과 재판매가격유지(再販賣價格維持)의 수직적(垂直的) 통제(統制)(vertical restraints)가 흔히 사용되고 있다. 수입소비재(輸入消費財) 유통구조(流通構造)의 주요 문제점으로는 독과점적(獨寡占的) 수입(輸入)에 따른 수입상의 독과점력, 국내 메이커에 의한 동종상품 수입에 의한 경쟁제한, 유통업자간의 담합 및 이의 유지를 위한 재판매가격유지(再販賣價格維持)의 성행, 불확실성(不確實性)과 정보불균형(情報不均衡)을 지적할 수 있다. 이러한 문제점을 시정하여 수입소비재(輸入消費財) 및 경쟁국산상품(競爭國産商品)의 가격하락(價格下落)과 국산상품(國産商品)의 품질개선(品質改善)을 유도하기 위하여는 독과점적 수입계약과 국내메이커에 의한 동종상품의 수입에 대한 공정거래규제(公正去來規制)를 도입하여야 하며, 수입가격표시제의 확대실시 및 탄력적 운영을 통한 합리적(合理的) 정보제공(情報提供)이 필요하다고 판단된다. 수입소비재(輸入消費財)의 유통구조는 또한 국내(國內) 도(都) 소매업(小賣業)의 일반적인 문제점으로 지적되고 있는 규모의 영세성, 무자료거래의 성행, 근대적 대형유통업체(大型流通業體)의 부족의 문제점을 가지고 있다. 이러한 문제점은 기본적으로 상가(商街)와 물류시설(物流施設)의 공급부족과 현행 부가가치세제(附加價値稅制)에 그 원인이 있다. 따라서 수입소비재 유통구조의 생산성을 향상시키고 경쟁을 촉진하기 위해서는 상업용 및 물류시설용 부동산의 공급확대유도(供給擴大誘導)와 부가가치세제(附加價値稅制)의 합리적 운영이 필요하다고 사료된다.

Since the early 1980's, the Korean government has gradually been widening the Korean market to foreign consumer goods. This, combined with the increased purchasing power of the Korean consumers resulting from the continued economic growth of the country, has sparked a spectacular influx of foreign consumer goods into Korea, ranging from BMW's to chopsticks. Import of foreign consumer goods amounted to more than 6 billion dollars in 1989 and is continuing to grow at a rapid rate. The increased import of foreign consumer goods doubtlessly improved the overall welfare of the Korean consumers by providing them with a wider range of options to choose from, by lowering the prices of some of the consumer goods domestically produced, and also by forcing the producers of some Korean goods to face competition with better foreign goods, thus giving them an incentive to raise the quality of their products. However, it is agreed by most economists that this increase in general welfare has been much smaller than what they had expected at the outset. Consumer prices of most imported consumer goods are easily double the import price, and in some cases, more than treble the import prices. Further, there has not been a noticeable drop in the prices of domestically produced consumer goods. Much of the blame has been attributed to the distribution sector of Korea. The objective of this paper is to analyze the imported consumer goods distribution sector of Korea, focusing on the possible sources of the poor performance of that sector, and to make policy suggestions that could potentially increase the welfare. This paper differs from all the previous research by others on this subject in that it analyzes the imported consumer goods distribution sector of Korea as a vertical structure. The distribution sector of an imported consumer good is a vertical structure since it consists of an international market, an import stage, and domestic wholesale and retail markets, in that order vertically. Our study naturally includes the analysis of the vertical restraints as well as the analysis of the industrial organization of each horizontal stage in the vertical structure. Each horizontal component of the imported consumer goods distribution sector is basically a monopolistically competitive market differentiated by characteristics of goods and by the locations and the services of firms. Further, restrictive dealership and resale price maintenance are found to be widely in use. Our main findings are the follwing; First, most consumer goods are imported monopolistically or oligopolistically through restrictive dealership contracts between foreign producers and domestic importers. Such restrictive dealership gives importers market power in the domestic market and explains many of the large discrepancies betwen the consumer prices and the import prices of many goods. Korean anti - trust law does not cover the issues arising from the market power of an importer resulting from a restrictive dealership contract. Second, some major producers of Korean goods are also importers of foreign goods that are substitutes of their products. The import of substitutes by major domestic producers is anti - competitive because it tends to raise the prices of both domestic goods and foreign goods, and also because it reduces the incentive of the domestic producers to raise the quality of their products. Third, wholesalers and retailers widely use resale price maintenance as a price fixing mechanism, and while this is against the anti- trust law, it seldom gets noticed. Fourth, the high level of rents of real estate for commercial use works as an entry barrier to the distribution sector and results in reduced competition by the firms in that sector. Finally, there are information problems. Consumers have inferior information to firms about the quality of a foreign consumer good that they have not tried before. Such information asymmetry often enables firms to raise prices. In addition, information asymmetry between importers frequently delays the import of cheaper substitutes. In order to alleviate the problems indentified above, we suggest the following policy changes. The government should strengthen the anti - trust law and its enforcement to regulate restrictive import contracts, import of competing goods by major domestic producers, and RPM by wholesalers and retailers that is aimed at price fixing. In addition, the government should loosen its tight real estate policy to encourage investment in the distribution sector. Finally, we suggest that the import price revelation policy that has been in use for some items since 1990 be expanded to most imported consumer goods that are introduced for the first time to give consumer better information and be used only for the period of time needed to inform sufficient number of consumers.