• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.1-39
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• 2013

This article explores the risk governance of nanotechnology in Korea in light of a regulatory law approach, a soft law approach, and a participatory governance approach. The risk governance of nanotechnology in Korea has three characteristics. First, there are many existing regulatory laws that can be applied to the regulation of nanotechnology. However, these laws have exemptions, the extent of which are larger than that of the Europe and the United States. Second, the soft law approach is the most prevalent risk policy in Korea at present, but is limited because it is being driven by the government without active, voluntary participation of relevant companies. Third, no case of participatory governance took place when it comes to nanotechnology technology assessment. As policy recommendations to improve Korean nanotechnology risk governance, this article suggests pre-market screening, mandatory governmental registration of nanomaterials, transition management of code of conduct, and the design of interdisciplinary research and development project for real-time technology assessment.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.177-186
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• 2021

This study examined the effects of the firm characteristics of the manufacturing industry on the female employment ratio. Three hypotheses regarding female employment ratio, were tested for 5,729 firms that could use financial data among the firms listed on the KOSPI from 2011 to 2019, in terms firm size, listing period, and foreign ownership. Follwing the analyses, three hypotheses were mostly adopted. It was found that as the size firm and foreign ownership ratio increased, the female employment ratio increased in the number of regular and permanent contract employees, fixed-term employees, and total employees. As for the listing period, the higher the value, the lower the female employment ratio in the number of regular and permanent contract employees, fixed-term employees, and total employees. These research results may be used as basic data for gender equal employment policies such as Affirmative Atcion for Gender Equal Employment.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.52
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• pp.241-272
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• 2003

The Self-Support Program was introduced as an antipoverty policy at 2002 year in Korea. But, the Self-Support Program's negative or positive effects have been debated from diverse perspectives to the present. Thus, in this paper, we analyzed the effects of the Self-Support Program using the survey data from program participants. Even though the effects of Workfare Programs can be evaluated by various indicators(ex. income, employment status, poverty status, etc.), in our analysis the effects of the Self-Support Program are evaluated by participants' self-reliant attitudes and behaviors. Major findings are as follows. First, we found that some kinds of self-reliant attitudes(ex. work commitment, self-esteem, etc.) were build up through participation on the Self-Support program, but some kinds of self-reliant factors(job competence and skill, self-sufficiency prospect, etc.) which are more relevant to the self-sufficiency were not build up thorough it. Second, we found the positive effects of the program among people who are females, olders, less educated, more healthy, and the participants who have acquired more certificate of qualifications. Third, we also found that self-support center's job training program, adequate task matching, agency climates and intra-networks influence on the positive effects of the Self-Support Program. These findings suggest that the Self-Support Program has not been successful up to now and it's reformations are required. It means that objectives of the Self-Support Program as an anti-poverty policy must be obvious and program contents must be diverse. And also program administration systems need to be reformed in oder to raise the effectiveness of the Self-Support Program.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.125-148
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• 2014

This paper performs a historical analysis on the various factors contributing to the current carbon lock-in of Korean electricity industry by using techo-institutional complex. The possibilities of the industry's carbon lock-out toward more sustainable development are also investigated. It turns out that market, firm, consumer, and government factors are all responsible for the development of the carbon lock-in of Korean power industry; the Korean government consistently favoring large power plants based on the economy of scale; below-cost electricity tariff; inflation policy to suppress increases in power price; rapid demand growth in summer and winter seasons; rigidities of electricity tariff; and expansion of gas-fired and imported coal-fired large power plants. On the other hand, except for nuclear power generation and smart grid, environment laws and new and renewable energy laws are the other remaining factors contributing to the carbon lock-out. Considering three key points that Korea is an export-oriented economy, the generation mix is the most critical factor to decide the amounts of carbon emission in the power industry, and the share of industry and commercial power consumption is over 85%, it is unlikely that Korea will achieve the carbon lock-out of power industry in the near future. Therefore, there are needs for more integrated approaches from market, firm, consumer, and government all together in order to achieve the carbon lock-out in the electricity industry. Firstly, from the market perspective, it is necessary to persue more active new and renewable energy penetration and to guarantee consumer choices by mitigating the incumbent's monopoly power as in the OECD countries. Secondly, from the firm perspective, the promotion of distributed energy system is urgent, which includes new and renewable resources and demand resources. Thirdly, from the consumer perspective, more green choices in the power tariff and customer awareness on the carbon lock-out are needed. Lastly, the government shall urgently improve power planning frameworks to include the various externalities that were not properly reflected in the past such as environmental and social conflict costs.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.239-276
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• 2009

The paper investigates the possible relationship between earnings prediction by security analysts and special ownership ties that link security companies those analysts belong to and firms under analysis. "Security analysts" are known best for their role as information producers in stock markets where imperfect information is prevalent and transaction costs are high. In such a market, changes in the fundamental value of a company are not spontaneously reflected in the stock price, and the security analysts actively produce and distribute the relevant information crucial for the price mechanism to operate efficiently. Therefore, securing the fairness and accuracy of information they provide is very important for efficiencyof resource allocation as well as protection of investors who are excluded from the special relationship. Evidence of systematic distortion of information by the special tie naturally calls for regulatory intervention, if found. However, one cannot presuppose the existence of distorted information based on the common ownership between the appraiser and the appraisee. Reputation effect is especially cherished by security firms and among analysts as indispensable intangible asset in the industry, and the incentive to maintain good reputation by providing accurate earnings prediction may overweigh the incentive to offer favorable rating or stock recommendation for the firms that are affiliated by common ownership. This study shares the theme of existing literature concerning the effect of conflict of interests on the accuracy of analyst's predictions. This study, however, focuses on the potential conflict of interest situation that may originate from the Korea-specific ownership structure of large conglomerates. Utilizing an extensive database of analysts' reports provided by WiseFn(R) in Korea, we perform empirical analysis of potential relationship between earnings prediction and common ownership. We first analyzed the prediction bias index which tells how optimistic or friendly the analyst's prediction is compared to the realized earnings. It is shown that there exists no statistically significant relationship between the prediction bias and common ownership. This is a rather surprising result since it is observed that the frequency of positive prediction bias is higher with such ownership tie. Next, we analyzed the prediction accuracy index which shows how accurate the analyst's prediction is compared to the realized earnings regardless of its sign. It is also concluded that there is no significant association between the accuracy ofearnings prediction and special relationship. We interpret the results implying that market discipline based on reputation effect is working in Korean stock market in the sense that security companies do not seem to be influenced by an incentive to offer distorted information on affiliated firms. While many of the existing studies confirm the relationship between the ability of the analystand the accuracy of the analyst's prediction, these factors cannot be controlled in the above analysis due to the lack of relevant data. As an indirect way to examine the possibility that such relationship might have distorted the result, we perform an additional but identical analysis based on a sub-sample consisting only of reports by best analysts. The result also confirms the earlier conclusion that the common ownership structure does not affect the accuracy and bias of earnings prediction by the analyst.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.329-352
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• 2017

Since the late 2000s Korean foreign direct investors in North Korea and China border regions have gone through the closure of outward processing trade(OPT) networks and changes in their location due to UN security council resolution and Korean independent sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and missile tests. However, the introduction of new Chinese OPT policy has led to the invigoration of domestic market-based OPT networks towards North Korea. The main aim of this paper is to identify the exceptional characteristics of Dandong in Liaoning province, a North Korea and China border region by analyzing OPT networks towards North Korea. Fundamentally the establishment of OPT networks towards North Korea is likely to be based on the utilization of a plenty of low wages in North Korea. The main reasons for this are fallen into two perspectives: geo-economics and geo-politics. The first perspective is geo-economics centering on the consolidation of economic exchange between North Korea and China, and North Korean economic development. For example, the introduction of Chinese OPT in border region has enabled Chinese local firms based on domestic market to access a plenty of low wage in North Korea in formal and institutional contexts. The second is geo-politics for the stability of North Korean regime based on the means of geo-economics. As the invigoration of domestic market-based OPT networks might make North Korea possible promoting foreign money earning, it enable North Korea to be sustainable as a buffering region between capitalist and socialist regime for China. It shows Chinese geo-strategic attempts to deal with the economic and regime stability of North Korean as a buffering state. In other words, OPT networks in North Korea should be concerned with the discourse practice of geo-economics and geo-politics which might lead to various and contingent spatial economies in border region. As a consequence, North Korea and China border regions could defined as a space in which is applicable to exceptional institutions and policies, and an exploitative space in which create surplus and rents by utilizing a plenty of low wages in North Korea through OPT networks.