• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.13-21
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• 2014

This study on condominium complex will adopt the quantitative assessment of the influence on the environment throughout the entire life cycle of buildings. This paper applies input-out analysis in order to analyse embodied energy regarding input of materials at material production phase. Also, it calculates environment load at use and demolition and destruction Phases of buildings as analysing energy consumption. The study categorises environment load as six impact categories and undertakes environmental impact evaluation. The consequence shows that the environment load of multi-unit dwelling takes up 88.2% out of the entire environment load of condominium complex. Also, as a result of analyzing the environmental impact of the life cycle of condominium buildings, it was found that such environmental impact comprised of about 11.96% of all industries in Korea that had an environmental impact.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.101-131
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• 2015

A cap-and-trade program accounting for 60 percent of total national greenhouse gas emissions was launched in South Korea in 2015. Academic literature expects that the implementation of such a policy is likely to adversely impact income distribution among various socioeconomic groups in developed countries. South Korea is challenged by equity issues, as well circumstances, the distributional implications of carbon pricing policies need to be examined and reflected in the design of the program prior to implementation in order not to exacerbate social inequity. Using environmentally extended input-output analysis together with household expenditure data, this study finds that a carbon pricing policy will be regressive in South Korea, but the extent depends on whether relative burdens of a carbon pricing policy are measured based on current incomes or proxies of permanent incomes. Along with poor households, this paper finds that elderly and urban households will be more adversely impacted in South Korea. These burdens can be relieved if a small fraction of the revenue is redistributed to households.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.7-14
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• 2016

The economic crisis in North Korea has reduced its capacity to invest in the energy industries. The country is going through a vicious cycle of decreased investment in the energy industries and reduced energy production. This suggests that the energy industries would come to the top priority of investment once the economy improves. This paper calculated the economic ripple effect of the investment on North and South Korean economies based on the assumption that 390 billion won was invested in the construction of a natural gas combined-cycle power plant in Gaesong Industrial Complex. In order to analyze the economic ripple effect of the investment on North Korean economy, we constructed the inter-industry relation table of North Korea for year 2014 and used the input-output model. The ripple effect of the investment in the natural gas industry turned out to be 1.012 billion dollars. In order to analyze the effect of the investment on South Korean economy, we constructed the inter-industry relation table of South Korea for year 2013 and used the demand-driven model for inter-industry analysis. As a result, production, added-value and employment inducement coefficients of the investment in the natural gas industry were calculated as 2.02073, 0.62697 and 8.99409 respectively.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.465-474
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• 2014

This is a comparative study that shows the overall environmental impacts from concrete structures when different compressive strength of concrete applied to structural systems having the same reference flow with different durability. A total of 24 MPa, 40 MPa and 60 MPa cases is analyzed to define the characteristic using end-point perspective LCA methodology including the stages of production, construction, maintenance and disposal. As results, global warming, non-renewable energy and respiratory inorganics problems are the major issues for assessing environmental impacts of concrete products.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.141-164
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• 2015

The concept of consumption-based greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is directly related with the carbon content of international trade. Along the lines of the consumption-based GHG inventory, we investigate domestic and foreign carbon contents embodied in sectoral exports of Korea. In addition to the analysis of carbon content of exports, it is investigated how much share of responsibility for carbon emissions of Korea belongs to each major trading partner of Korea. We also compute the carbon intensities of Korean exports in carbon chain with other trading partners and find some characteristics revealed in Korea's carbon emissions embodied in its exports.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1185-1194
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• 2011

This study was carried out to estimate carbon emission using LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and to establish LCI (Life Cycle inventory) DB for lettuce production system in protected cultivation. The results of data collection for establishing LCI DB showed that the amount of fertilizer input for 1 kg lettuce production was the highest. The amounts of organic and chemical fertilizer input for 1 kg lettuce production were 7.85E-01 kg and 4.42E-02 kg, respectively. Both inputs of fertilizer and energy accounted for the largest share. The amount of field emission for $CO_2$, $CH_4$ and $N_2O$ for 1 kg lettuce production was 3.23E-02 kg. The result of LCI analysis focused on GHG (Greenhouse gas) showed that the emission value to produce 1 kg of lettuce was 8.65E-01 kg $CO_2$. The emission values of $CH_4$ and $N_2O$ to produce 1 kg of lettuce were 8.59E-03 kg $CH_4$ and 2.90E-04 kg $N_2O$, respectively. Fertilizer production process contributed most to GHG emission. Whereas, the amount of emitted nitrous oxide was the most during lettuce cropping stage due to nitrogen fertilization. When GHG was calculated in $CO_2$-equivalents, the carbon footprint from GHG was 1.14E-+00 kg $CO_2$-eq. $kg^{-1}$. Here, $CO_2$ accounted for 76% of the total GHG emissions from lettuce production system. Methane and nitrous oxide held 16%, 8% of it, respectively. The results of LCIA (Life Cycle Impact assessment) showed that GWP (Global Warming Potential) and POCP (Photochemical Ozon Creation Potential) were 1.14E+00 kg $CO_2$-eq. $kg^{-1}$ and 9.45E-05 kg $C_2H_4$-eq. $kg^{-1}$, respectively. Fertilizer production is the greatest contributor to the environmental impact, followed by energy production and agricultural material production.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.129-169
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to experiment and simulate the newly-updated Second Generation Model for Korea (SGM-Korea). With the updated model, we tried to simulate effect of carbon tax on $CO_2$ emissions and other macroeconomic variables for Korea. The baseline data are compared with projected profiles by various scenarios to evaluate its performance. Our contribution in this study is to having up-graded the model from its earlier version by building new hybrid input-output table based on 2000 input-output and energy balanced tables. According to our estimation, total $CO_2$ emission in Korea has already increased in 2000 to about 1.86 times the 1990 figure. The level of carbon tax required for the current level of $CO_2$ emission to be reduced to the 1995 or 2000 level seems to be too high for Korean economy to bear. It is possible to find a reasonable level of carbon tax, however, if it can combine it with improvement of energy efficiency at the rate of 0.5% to 1% per year. For Korea to meet its obligation to reduce $CO_2$ emissions, therefore, it is imperative for her to improve energy efficiency as well as to develop alternative energy source reducing its dependence on fossil fuel.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.3-49
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• 2014

Growing interest of stakeholders on corporate responsibilities for environment and tightening environmental regulations are highlighting the importance of environmental management more than ever. However, companies' awareness of the importance of environment is still falling behind, and related academic works have not shown consistent conclusions on the relationship between environmental performance and economic performance. One of the reasons is different ways of measuring these two performances. The evaluation scope of economic performance is relatively narrow and the performance can be measured by a unified unit such as price, while the scope of environmental performance is diverse and a wide range of units are used for measuring environmental performances instead of using a single unified unit. Therefore, the results of works can be different depending on the performance indicators selected. In order to resolve this problem, generalized and standardized performance indicators should be developed. In particular, the performance indicators should be able to cover the concepts of both environmental and economic performances because the recent idea of environmental management has expanded to encompass the concept of sustainability. Another reason is that most of the current researches tend to focus on the motive of environmental investments and environmental performance, and do not offer a guideline for an effective implementation strategy for environmental management. For example, a process improvement strategy or a market discrimination strategy can be deployed through comparing the environment competitiveness among the companies in the same or similar industries, so that a virtuous cyclical relationship between environmental and economic performances can be secured. A novel method for measuring eco-efficiency by utilizing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), which is able to combine multiple environmental and economic performances, is proposed in this report. Based on the eco-efficiencies, the environmental competitiveness is analyzed and the optimal combination of inputs and outputs are recommended for improving the eco-efficiencies of inefficient firms. Furthermore, the panel analysis is applied to the causal relationship between eco-efficiency and economic performance, and the pooled regression model is used to investigate the relationship between eco-efficiency and economic performance. The four-year eco-efficiencies between 2010 and 2013 of 23 companies are obtained from the DEA analysis; a comparison of efficiencies among 23 companies is carried out in terms of technical efficiency(TE), pure technical efficiency(PTE) and scale efficiency(SE), and then a set of recommendations for optimal combination of inputs and outputs are suggested for the inefficient companies. Furthermore, the experimental results with the panel analysis have demonstrated the causality from eco-efficiency to economic performance. The results of the pooled regression have shown that eco-efficiency positively affect financial perform ances(ROA and ROS) of the companies, as well as firm values(Tobin Q, stock price, and stock returns). This report proposes a novel approach for generating standardized performance indicators obtained from multiple environmental and economic performances, so that it is able to enhance the generality of relevant researches and provide a deep insight into the sustainability of environmental management. Furthermore, using efficiency indicators obtained from the DEA model, the cause of change in eco-efficiency can be investigated and an effective strategy for environmental management can be suggested. Finally, this report can be a motive for environmental management by providing empirical evidence that environmental investments can improve economic performance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.267-274
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• 2011

The environmental impacts of 95% remediation of a total petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil were evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA of two remediation systems, soil vapor extraction (SVE) and biopile, were conducted by using imput materials and energy listed in a remedial system standardization report. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results showed that the environmental impacts of SVE were all higher than those of biopile. Prominent four environmental impacts, human toxicity via soil, aquatic ecotoxicity, human toxicity via surface water and human toxicity via air, were apparently found from the LCIA results of the both remedial systems. Human toxicity via soil was the prominent impact of SVE, while aquatic ecotoxicity was the prominent impact of biopile. This study also showed that the operation stage and the activated carbon replacement stage contributed 60% and 36% of the environmental impacts of SVE system, respectively. The major input affecting the environmental impact of SVE was electricity. The operation stage of biopile resulted in the highest contribution to the entire environmental impact. The key input affecting the environmental impact of biopile was also electricity. This study suggested that electricity reduction strategies would be tried in the contaminated-soil remediation sites for archieving less environmental impacts. Remediation of contaminated soil normally takes long time and thus requires a great deal of material and energy. More extensive life cycle researches on remedial systems are required to meet recent national challenges toward carbon dioxide reduction and green growth. Furthermore, systematic information on electricity use of remedial systems should be collected for the reliable assessment of environmental impacts and carbon dioxide emissions during soil remediation.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.502-509
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• 2013

To estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, we established inventory of conventional rice cultivation from farmers in Gunsan and Iksan, Jeonbuk province in 2011~2012. This study was to calculate carbon footprint and to analyse the major factor of GHGs. We carried out a sensitivity analysis using the analyzed main factors of GHGs and estimated the mitigation potential of GHGs. Also we tried to suggest agricultural methods to reduce GHGs that farmers of this case study can apply. Carbon footprint of rice production unit of 1 kg was 2.21 kg $CO_2.-eq.kg^{-1}$. Although amount of $CO_2$ emissions is largest among GHGs, methane had the highest contribution of carbon footprint on rice production system after methane was converted to carbon dioxide equivalent ($CO_2$-eq.) multiplied by the global warming potential (GWP). Source of $CO_2$ in the cultivation of rice farming is incomplete combustion of fossil fuels used by agricultural machinery. Most of the $CH_4$ emitted during rice cultivation and major factor of $CH_4$ emission is flooded paddy field in anaerobic condition. Most of the $N_2O$ emitted from rice cultivation process and major sources of $N_2O$ emission is application of fertilizer such as compound fertilizer, urea, orgainc fertilizer, etc. As a result of sensitivity analysis due to the variation in energy consumption, diesel had the highest sensitivity among the energies inputs. If diesel consumption is reduced by 10%, it could be estimated that $CO_2$ potential reduction is about 2.5%. When application rate of compound fertilizer reduces by 10%, the potential reduction is calculated to be approximately 1% for $CO_2$ and approximately 1.8% for $N_2O$. When drainage duration is decreased until 10 days, methane emissions is reduced by approximately 4.5%. That is to say drainage days, tillage, and reducing diesel consumption were the main sources having the largest effect of GHG reduction due to changing amount of inputs. Accordingly, proposed methods to decrease GHG emissions were no-tillage, midsummer drainage, etc.