• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.629-650
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• 2013

This study reviews geographical research trends on 'New industrial agglomeration' in Korea and recommends research issues for further studies. Recent studies on industrial agglomeration region have typically concentrated on empirical case studies from new 'perspectives'. As a result, the establishment and theorizing of frameworks for analysis on industrial agglomeration have been given too little attention. To solve this problem research should be conducted to develop frameworks for analysis integrating noneconomic factors and existing economic factors, a strategy emphasized in new industrial agglomeration theory. By doing so, research investigating viability mechanism and generalization will be invigorated. Meanwhile, research focused excessively on social and cultural conditions of region-related networks between actors in economic space at specific scales should be excluded. In addition, academic research on vitalizing industrial agglomeration region, such as cluster policy, should be strengthened. In order to conduct these research objectives effectively, it is necessary to vitalize overall understanding among researchers of industrial agglomeration and provide a place for collaborative learning.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.273-301
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• 2008

This study aims not only to examine the globalization, imformationization, and networking as background of knowledge-information-based society, but also to clarify the research fields of 'geography of knowledge' and further research themes for economic geography in a knowledge-information-based society. As a result of globalization, the degree of regional disparity, which had decreased with neoliberal policy in Europe and America in 1980's, has increased in early development states such as China and Eastern European countries. In opposition to the globalization that has led to increasing regional disparities at a global scale, many scholars argue that grassroots globalization or globalization from below is needed. Based on a pessimistic view on globalization, many maintain that unequal access to information has enlarged the gap between rich and poor. They also argue that the study of the geography of poverty is crucial in oder to solve the problem of bipolization. According to the world system theory, spatial grasp of commodity chains, actors' diversities, flows towards innovation in learning knowledges, and geographical, organizational, and institutional proximities are intertwined. Because these elements make significant influences each other in social networks, the interrelationships among those elements should be carefully considered. A 'geography of knowledge' deals with manufacturing, finance and service, media, cultural, and creative industries. Former researches in economic geography have tended to deal with those industries separately without attempting to make meaningful linkages among discussions on those industries.