• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.87-118
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• 2024

Coastal ports play an essential role in developing a country and a city. Port efficiency is an important factor affecting port trade, and the importance of port efficiency for port performance has been recognized in previous literature. DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) and SFA (Stochastic Frontier Analysis) are widely used in this field of research. However, these two methods are limited in selecting input and output variables. In addition, the literature studies on Chinese coastal ports mainly focus on the study of port clusters in local areas, which lacks a holistic approach and generally lacks up-to-date data. Therefore, to fill the gap in this area of research, this paper introduces a model combining principal component analysis and data envelopment analysis to analyze the operational efficiency of the top 17 coastal ports in China in terms of throughput based on the most recent data available in 2021. This paper identifies container throughput as the output variable, and 13 second indicators are selected as input variables from four primary indicators: land, capital, labor, and infrastructure. Four principal components were selected from 13 second indicators using PCA.After that, DEA (BBC) and DEA (CCR) were used to analyze the 17 ports, among which five were Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Xiamen, and Dongguan, respectively, DEA efficient, and the remaining 12 ports were non-DEA efficient. Finally, improvement directions for each port are derived, and brief suggestions are made. This paper provides some reference value for developing and constructing coastal ports in China.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.22 no.7 s.78
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• pp.49-59
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• 2004

In order to be a hub-port in Northeast Asia, current China government has intensively invested in port development. Further, this development Project is significantly big scale, compared with those projects which Korea and Japan have. Thus, China is beginning to threaten Korean ports, especially Busan port which try to be a hub port in Northeast Asia. For this reason, recently many studies to evaluate competitiveness between Korean ports, especially Busan and Gwangyang, and Chinese ports have been conducted. In the mean time, implications of those pervious research has mainly been based on evaluation of port competitiveness using evaluation methodologies, such as AHP(Analytical Hierarchy Process) and HFP(Hierarchical Fuzzy Process). However, as previous evaluation algorithms are methodologies that only calculate ranking of ports by competitiveness level, from the results of analysis, critical weak points affected current port competitiveness could not clearly fine out. That is, because there has not been any algorithm that can extract critical points from the evaluation results. The aim of this paper is to present critical points that affect port competitiveness using an algorithm based on IRFE(Inverse Relation of Fuzzy Evaluation), and scenario analysis, from previous results of evaluation of port competitiveness. And The research scope is to covey the subjective ports of Korea and China's 7 major ports (Busan, Gwangyang, Sanghai, Qingdao, Tienjin, Dalian and Kaoshuing). From analysis, it was found that critical weak point of Busan port is the level of hinterland including availability of free trade zone.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.53-82
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to show the clustering trend and compare empirical results, as well as to choose the clustering ports for 3 Korean ports (Busan, Incheon, and Gwangyang) by using meta-frontier DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) and integer models on 38 Asian container ports over the period 2005-2014. The models consider 4 input variables (birth length, depth, total area, and number of cranes) and 1 output variable (container TEU). The main empirical results of the study are as follows. First, the meta-frontier DEA for Chinese seaports identifies as most efficient ports (in decreasing order) Shanghai, Hongkong, Ningbo, Qingdao, and Guangzhou, while efficient Korean seaports are Busan, Incheon, and Gwangyang. Second, the clustering results of the integer model show that the Busan port should cluster with Dubai, Hongkong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Singapore, and Kaosiung, while Incheon and Gwangyang should cluster with Shahid Rajaee, Haifa, Khor Fakkan, Tanjung Perak, Osaka, Keelong, and Bangkok ports. Third, clustering through the integer model sharply increases the group efficiency of Incheon (401.84%) and Gwangyang (354.25%), but not that of the Busan port. Fourth, the efficiency ranking comparison between the two models before and after the clustering using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test is matched with the average level of group efficiency (57.88 %) and the technology gap ratio (80.93%). The policy implication of this study is that Korean port policy planners should employ meta-frontier DEA, as well as integer models when clustering is needed among Asian container ports for enhancing the efficiency. In addition Korean seaport managers and port authorities should introduce port development and management plans accounting for the reference and clustered seaports after careful analysis.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.39-52
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• 2015

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine whether there are significant relations among rankings of cross-efficiency, web accessibility, and website evaluation. For this purpose, the study uses the KWAH-4 method developed by the Web Accessibility Laboratory in Korea, website evaluation method developed by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), and the cross-efficiency model for 13 Asian container seaports including Korean, Chinese, and Japanese main ports in 3 years (2009, 2010, and 2013) using data for two cases: three inputs (depth, total area, and number of crane) and one output (TEU) in the first case and three inputs and two outputs (TEU and BDC overall score) in the second case. The main empirical results are as follows. First, the ranking orders of cross-efficiency, web accessibility, and website evaluation overall scores are not significantly correlated with each other. Second, if the BDC overall score is included in the output element, the correlation results are improved. However, the correlation coefficient is still low. The container port policy planners should introduce and consider the web accessibility and website evaluation scores when evaluating an efficiency-increasing plan for Korea's main container ports.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2021

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) is an important part of Belt and Road Initiative(BRI). As an economic and trade corridor for dozens of countries in Asia, Europe and Africa, and the port as an important link node, the efficiency of port operation directly affects the implementation of BRI's strategy. On the basis of combining BRI and related evaluation methods of port efficiency, this paper uses DEA-BCC model to select port production berth number and production berth length as input index container throughput and cargo throughput as output index to analyze the port efficiency of 14 ports in China. The results show that: (1) The overall efficiency level of the ports along the MSR is relatively low. Most of the ports have not reached the DEA efficiency and there are different degrees of problems in scale investment and technological improvement. However, this situation is accompanied by the implementation of China's maritime cooperation strategy and becoming better year by year. (2) The low operating efficiency of ports along China's MSR is mainly due to the lack of coordination between scale efficiency and technical efficiency, which is caused by insufficient scale investment in the port itself, weak economic linkage between the hinterland and the port, (3) Whether a port has a strong comprehensive strength does not entirely depend on the cargo throughput or scale but also includes the port's operating efficiency.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.165-185
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• 2011

Transshipment traffic has significant meanings because it gives positive effects on increasing the container handling volumes in seaports, and revitalizes the regional and national development. Korean container port's transshipment traffic volumes, however, will slowly decrease due to the direct ships' calling into Chinese ports, which recently has a huge development plan. There are a lot of stress on forecasting the transshipment traffic volumes because the Korean container port development plans are designed based on this container traffic which consists of import and export traffic, and transshipment traffic. The transshipment traffic volumes are assumed to occupy 40% of total container traffic volumes. Despite of the importance of forecasting the transshipment traffic, a little studies are suggested using the concepts of the port competitiveness. In this respect, this study aims to estimate the Port Competitiveness Index and Transshipment traffic Volumes using the System Dynamics methodology. As a result, transshipment traffic volumes are predicted as: 20 million TEUs in Korea under the 4% annual increasing rates, 90 million TEUs in China under the 6% annual increasing rates, and 2.5 million TEUs in Japan under the 1% annual increasing rates respectively. The suggested results can be used to enhance the container port competitiveness and produce more transshipment traffic volumes.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.491-500
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• 2009

In order to attract more transshipment cargoes, Busan Port Authority (BPA) has, since 2003, adopted the volume incentive policy by which more than US$ 10 million annually have been paid back to shipping lines that were called at the port. However, having been a transshipment port for the Northeast region of China, the port of Busan has come under threat from bold Chinese port development projects, notably Shanghai, as northern Chinese regionnl ports place more emphasis on building facilities capable of handling growing trade volumes. Undoubtedly this would lead to a decline in transshipment container traffic moved via Busan. The purpose of this paper is to identify some core factors that have been affecting the increase of transshipment cargoes of Busan and further to recommend BPA an improved incentive scheme with which more T/S cargoes can be attracted into the port of Busan To clarity the reason why T/S cargoes have increased in the port of Busan, several steps are made as follows: The first step is to make a quantitative model for explaining the development of T/S cargoes during the last decade. The second step is to define the dependent and the independent variables for multiple regressions after testing variable significance. For this, data collection and the accuracy of validation have been done by the direct interview with the experienced staffs in shipping companies of both domestic and foreign country. After validating the model with collected data, the final step is to find variables which are explaining the model mostly. In conclusion, 2 variables were clearly identified as core factors that explain well the development of T/S cargoes in the port of Busan: 'Mohring effect' and total cost. It is strongly recommended, by an empirical study, that an incentive scheme be changed to a way which more feeder vessels rather than mother vessels can reduce their direct costs to call in the port of Busan.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2008

Asian container market, expecially in the NEA(Northeast Asia) region, has been growing continuously according to international specialization of manufacturers. The circumstances surrounding port industry has also been changing rapidly. Global liner and GTO( Global Terminal Operators} have strengthen there market share with M&A and increased entry to Asia market. The competition in NEA have deepen with change of circumstance and the growth of Chinese ports while Busan port decreasing its growth rate and market share. Therefore, this study analysed the change of the port concentration in NEA and the positioning of Busan port by year. In the result, the competitive position of Busan port weakening continuously and loss much volume to competition port, and it suggests that a globalization strategy is essential for making sure of competitiveness based on the result of this paper.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.31-40
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• 2013

Purpose - The Northeast Asian Logistic Hub strategy was established to create a national competitive advantage in northeast Asia. Countries in this region are competing fiercely to become the central base distribution port as the volume of container shipping continues to increase due to the northeast Asian (especially Chinese) economic growth. The primary method by which shippers are improving their customer service and distribution is enhancing profits by minimizing call ports on the key route through strategic affiliations and the use of large vessels. Each nation is planning large-scale investments in the construction of sea ports that can accommodate large vessels. This paper proposes ways by which the logistical strategies of domestic corporations can keep pace with changes in government policy concerning the Northeast Asian Business Hub policy. It examines the logistics system in the Northeast Asian region, analyzes the government's Northeast Asian Business Hub policy, and suggests logistical strategies for domestic corporations through an analysis based on a questionnaire designed to grasp domestic firms' needs and goals. Research design, data and methodology - The purpose of this study is to determine how shipping companies establish partnerships with third-party logistics providers and draws out the implications of the results. The survey methods used were personal interviews and questionnaires distributed to a sample population through e-mail, fax, mail, and telephone. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed, of which 165 were returned. Among these, ten were excluded due to insufficient content; ultimately, 155 were used for the sample. The statistical data collection process was analyzed through data coating and a statistical package program. Results - This study argues that greater flexibility in policies, administration, and systems will be needed to significantly improve established business practices. In this dissertation, we primarily identify that in order to become a center of northeast Asian logistics, Korea must adopt a new paradigm and abandon the existing systems that are based on the economic and social systems that have stemmed from bureaucracy, inflexibility, chauvinism, and equalitarianism. Flexible policies, administration, and systems will be necessary to improve business practices. Domestic corporations must establish a strategic logistics hub and related network while simultaneously pursuing value-added logistics businesses by increasing their manpower and building a logistics information system. This will strengthen their competitive edge and lead to system improvements. Conclusions - Domestic corporations must adopt a new paradigm and use more reasonable business laws, systems, and policies that are based on market-driven flexibility and transparency. Moreover, social norms and regulations should be established to help ensure political and social security. Korea must also develop a culture of tolerance for foreign companies. Finally, the paradigm defining the policy governing the development of the capital city and its satellite cities in this context must be changed.