• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.115-154
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• 2017

This article offers a review of the major literature about sectoral innovation studies of Korea and its implications over the past 30 years. The literature on the sectoral innovation studies in Korea has focused on analysing successful technological catch-up from an evolutionary perspective and most of research has centered on the issues about entry strategies, learning mechanisms. Recently "Emerging economies" like Korea in the 2000s face major challenges as they make a transition from (a) a phase of economic development characterised by 'catching up' with the global technological frontier, involving technological "imitation", to (b) a phase of continuing development based on the development of new knowledge for globally leading (post catch-up) product and process innovation. This paper reviews those bodies of literature of patterns of sectoral innovation, technological capability accumulation and catch-up process, catch-up innovation and institutions, and patterns of growth dynamics. Finally, given the importance of sectoral innovation studies, we suggest that industrial upgrading, transition towards leadership, dark side of catch-up issues are needed for future research directions.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.239-259
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• 2008

Korea is in the middle of a transition from the catch-up stage to the post catch-up stage. This requires a new approach, a new perspective, and a new strategy to survive in the new environment. This research investigates the post catch-up research activities in the public sector, including universities and national research institutes. In this case study, the experts and research teams at the highest level in the world are introduced, and research environments and know-how possessed by the experts and research teams are analyzed. The cases shows that the post catch-up research teams have research patterns to open new research field and integrate prior knowledge base with new knowledges from other research field. They succeed in producing highly regarded research results and making research platform for further advanced research.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.157-176
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• 2011

As innovative capabilities of private and public sector in Korea has increased, the innovation system faced with the necessities for transition from imitation oriented approaches to post catch-up approaches. Particularly, public research sector has pressure for the supply of generic technological knowledge from private sector. It needs the transformation of research question setting, organizing research activities and new trajectory for commercialization of research output. This paper analysed the characteristics of post catch-up activities from the case study of Daeduk Innopolis where most of public research institutes are located.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1-35
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• 2010

This study analyzes the necessity of integrated innovation policy for post catch-up innovation. The integrated innovation policy solidifies its position as an infrastructure innovation policy which forms the foundation of all kinds of policies. The Korean government is currently under the pressure of planning technologies and policies that do not allow any easy imitation or copy of other advanced countries, which in turn reveals various limits of the existing policy framework. Integrated innovation policy for post catch-up innovation involves a continual process demanding changes in political, organizational and procedural activities. To ensure long-term and cross-sectoral innovation policy, overall changes and improvements in policy and its implementation are needed in terms of political commitments, governance systems, policy instruments and monitoring, and evaluation systems.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.39-51
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• 2010

Korea faces challenges from the recent development catch-up countries and the absence of catch up incentives. For Korea to solve the issue of post catch-up problems and create a new development path based on creative innovation, there is an urgent need to secure a system design capability for the production of creative knowledge and talent that can create a competitive society. However, the conservative inclination and a lack of a customer-oriented attitude of Korean universities and professors leads to a standardization of talent and a passive restructuring of the curriculum by universities instead of a direct correspondence with the demands of companies and society. The compatibility of Korean university education with the demands of society remains the lowest in the world and creative education in Korea faces a difficult situation. The world is transforming from a knowledge-based economy to a creativity-based economy and a competitive society will led by creativity, not by knowledge. The success of a country in nurturing creative talent will determine its future national competitiveness. For Korea to be become a global leader in the new era of creativity, it needs to make proactive preparations. It is imperative for Korea to transform the educational system from the previous cramming system to a creativity-nurturing system.

• Informatization Policy
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.71-88
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• 2013

Probability of technology risk is expected to increase as the post catch-up innovation, characterized by high uncertainty and high risk, would dominate in the coming era of post catchup. Social controversy on online game as a post catch-up innovation is still ongoing, though the shutdown law was enacted by the government. Socio-technical vulnerability causing technology risk paradoxically arose from the world top-level ICT infrastructures and has been reinforced by developmentalism. While both the pros and cons of the regulation fail to recognize dilemma objectively, social cost is brought about and accumulated. With recognizing dilemma between technology innovation and risks, we can tackle technology risks and ensure responsible innovation in post catch-up era.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.138-151
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• 2017

This aim of the study is to show the necessity of implementing an industrial innovation strategy with consideration given to characteristics of the industrial technology. The relationship between industrial technological characteristics and innovation performance is analyzed by using an innovation survey as well as a human capital corporate panel (HCCP). The time-lag effect is also examined. Findings of the analysis show that high-tech industries have entered the post catch-up technology innovation stage in the mid-2000s, but low-tech industries still seem to stay in the catch-up stage. In terms of technology policy, the additional technology innovation support policy should focus on enhancing the innovation capability of the middle and low technology industries, since high technology industries are already developing their own innovation capability. It is necessary to strengthen capacity building through technical cooperation with technology consulting, rather than providing technical support through suppliers.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.47-77
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• 2017

This paper critically examines research trends on the relationship between technological innovation and economic growth in Korea. There are different views on the role of innovation in economic growth including Exogenous and Endogenous Growth, National Innovation System, Technological Capabilities, Economic Catch-up discourses and so on. According to these theoretical discourses, existing studies about Korea are reviewed in a critical way and then future research work is proposed through such a critical review and reflection.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.27-50
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• 2016

Korean manufacturing industry have recently faced the catch-up of China in the mass commodity product, such as automotive, display, and smart phone in terms of market as well as technology. Accordingly, discussion on the importance of achieving catch-up in complex product systems (CoPS) has been increasing as a new innovation engine for the industry. In order to achieve successful catch-up of CoPS, we explored emerging technologies of CoPS, which are featured by the characteristics of radical novelty, relatively fast growth and self-sustaining, through the study of emerging technologies of gas turbine for power generation. We found that emerging technologies of the gas turbine are technologies for combustion nozzle and composition of electrical machine for increasing power efficiency, washing technology for particulate matter, cast and material processing technology for enhancing durability from fatigue, cooling technologies from extremely high temperature, interconnection operation technology between renewable energy and the gas turbine for flexibility in power generation, and big data technology for remote monitoring and diagnosis of the gas turbine. We also found that those emerging technologies resulted in technological progress of the gas turbine by converging with other conventional technologies in the gas turbine. It indicates that emerging technologies in CoPS can be appeared on various technological knowledge fields and have complementary relationship with conventional technologies for technology progress of CoPS. It also implies that latecomers need to pursue integrated learning that includes emerging technologies as well as conventional technologies rather than independent learning related to emerging technologies for successful catch-up of CoPS. Our findings provide an important initial theoretical ground for investigating the emerging technologies and their characteristics in CoPS as well as recognizing knowledge management strategy for successful catch-up of latecomers. Our findings also contribute to the policy development of the CoPS from the perspective of innovation strategy and knowledge management.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.141-167
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• 2012

Along with technological innovation, successful market entry of a new product is important for sustainable innovation of a firm. In this paper, we examined factors that affect successful introduction of new branded drugs in pharmaceutical industry. Under competing theories of the first mover's advantage and the late mover's advantage, this research focuses on how latecomers can overcome the disadvantages of late entry and catch up to the market leader. First, late movers can absorb the knowledge leaked from pioneering product during the time lag between early entrants and late entrants. Therefore, the time lag provides late entrants an opportunity to catch-up to market leader by differentiating and improving the quality of new product. Second, superior marketing capability of late entrants can enhance the possibility of catching-up, by overcoming the consumer base of early entrants.