• East Asian Economic Review
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.417-444
• /
• 2013

This paper aims to empirically identify the effects of FTAs on outward and inward FDIs in Korea. Considering the income differences between Korea and its FTA partners, we hypothesize that FTAs have a positive effect on outward FDI to developing countries and inward FDI from developed countries. An underlying source of the hypothesis is the Knowledge-Capital model, addressing the positive (negative) relationship between trade costs and horizontal (vertical) FDI. We test for the hypothesis using data on Korea's FTAs and FDI over the period 2000-2010. We find that our empirical results support the hypothesis, and additionally, FTAs in general encourage FDI by creating an FDI-friendly environment.

• East Asian Economic Review
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.29-54
• /
• 2014

The purpose of this research is to identify the relation between OFDI (Outward Foreign Direct Investment) and wage inequality. In order to analyze various effects of OFDI on wages depending on the types of workers, the research classified laborers into four categories: permanent/skilled worker, permanent/unskilled worker, temporary/skilled worker, and temporary/unskilled worker. With controlling wage-determining factors such as education, labor union, individual fixed-effect, and industry-level effect, this paper examines whether OFDI attributes to the wage inequality among each type of workers. Moreover, this study also analyzes possible effects on wages that could vary according to the different characteristics of investments by classifying OFDI into two groups: OECD and non-OECD. The results reveal that OFDI makes certain differences according to skill-intensity and contract type in terms of influences on wages. It also shows that the effect of OFDI on wages is more subject to contract type than to skill-intensity. The classification of OFDI into OECD and non-OECD proves that effects on wages can vary by characteristics of the subject of investment.

• East Asian Economic Review
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.381-408
• /
• 2015

This paper investigates a link between the significant decline in the growth of domestic demand and the dampened ripple effects from the export sector in Korea since the East Asian financial crisis. The dampened ripple effects are closely linked to the changed investment behaviors of the Korean large-sized exporting firms since the crisis: they do not invest in their export earnings any more to create new industries; they tend to use more foreign value added contents for their exports and to increase outward direct investment by actively participating in global value chains. The paper also examines a link between the growth of domestic demand and the growth of household disposable income and presents reasons for the decline in the growth of household disposable income since the East Asian financial crisis.

• Journal of Korea Trade
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.1-22
• /
• 2022

Purpose - This study aims to analyze the influence of South Korea's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) under the effect of both multinational enterprises' (MNEs) investment motivation and host country institutions. Some suggestions are put forward with regard to South Korean MNEs participating in and integrating into the fierce and changeable world of international market competition. Design/methodology - The basic hypotheses are that MNEs' investment motivations and the host country's superior institutions both boost South Korea's OFDI in those host countries. South Korea's OFDI is divided into investment choice stage and investment scale stage. A Heckman two-stage selection model is established for empirical analysis, using the panel data of South Korea's OFDI and related variables, from 2002 to 2019. Findings - (1) The influence on the investment scale of South Korea's OFDI is more regular and noteworthy than the influence on investment choice. (2) In the investment scale stage, there are obvious motivations to seek markets, labor force and superior technology, but not natural resources. (3) In the investment scale stage, the South Korea's OFDI is more obviously attracted by the host country's superior political institutions, economic institutions and legal institutions, but not cultural institutions. Originality/value - The choices of variables and uses of model expand the theoretical basis and empirical method of OFDI research. The results of the empirical study also provide some reference for the transnational investment of South Korean MNEs and the investment policy formulation of the South Korean government.

• International Area Studies Review
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.47-66
• /
• 2014

A noticeable aspect of Korean firms' outward sequential FDIs to China is that they occur sequentially, which means that they implement the outward FDIs to China with a long-term perspective. To analyze the strategic advantages of sequential investment, we introduce Cournot type quantity competition model. According to the model, three important implications are derived. First, sequential FDIs enhances the Korean parents' production capabilities. Second, the parents are more likely to establish new Chinese subsidiaries as they stay longer in China. Third, the production effect of sequential investments incurs more sequential investments. Some regression models are tested for verifying the predictions. According to empirical results, three important results are found. First, initial entry mode affects the size expansion of the Korean parents. Second, the longer the duration of intial subsidiary in China, the more the sequential investment will be. Third, sequential investments are positively associated with the productivity of the Korean parents.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.23-45
• /
• 2023

This study aims to investigate the relationship between institutional distance and FDI and focuses on China's outward FDI. The institutional distance between China and the host country is measured using the institutional quality published by the World Bank. This study collects panel data from 50 countries in which China invested from 2008 to 2019 and use the panel GLS methodology to examine the factors affecting outward FDI through three models. First, this study examines the impact of the absolute value of institutional distance on China's OFDI across all countries in which China invests. Second, this study divides countries with positive and negative institutional distance to China into two groups and examine the relationship between institutional distance and OFDI in each group. Finally, this study examines the non-linear relationship between institutional distance and OFDI from China. To test this, this study adds the squared term of institutional distance to the model. The results of the analysis are as follows Institutional distance is positively related to China's OFDI. The relationship between institutional distance and OFDI is inverted U-shaped in the group of host countries with relatively higher institutional quality than China, but positive in the group of low-quality host countries. In addition, China's OFDI is affected by a combination of institutional and economic factors. The results of this study have implications not only for FDI host countries but also for MNCs' choice of FDI destinations.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.209-228
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the changes in trade and industry of Korea and suggest implications from the perspective of global value chains following the spread of COVID-19. To this end, products for prevention of epidemics which is directly related to COVID-19 and IT industries with high GVC participation were analyzed. Due to the spread of COVID-19, the variation in import and export of products for prevention of epidemics was large. In the case of masks, import and export of final goods changed drastically, but the change in intermediate goods was not significant relatively. Korea's IT industry has been differentiated according to major trading partners amid overall changes in GVCs which is summarized as higher forward participation and lower backward participation. While no particular change resulted from COVID-19 has yet been made directly, the need for diversification strategies should be taken into account at a time when the production links with China and Vietnam are close and the dependence on trade with these countries is high. The COVID-19 is still in progress, requiring corporate strategies and policy efforts to respond to changes in GVCs in the post-COVID-19 era.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.1-34
• /
• 2013

Labor share of income in Korea has fallen from 90% in 1996 to 79% in 2010. This paper explores the factors driving the movements in the labor share of income based on a panel dataset containing 19 years of data on 18 Korean manufacturing industries. The effects of technical progress, globalization and the bargaining power of labor and capital on the labor share of income are tested for the period of 1991-2009. The main empirical results are as follows. (1) Capital-aug menting technical prog ress measured by capital-labor ratio and R&D intensity has a negative effect on the labor share. (2) Market openness measured by the value of export and import as a ratio to value-added production is found to have a positive impact. (3) Globalization of production measured by inward-FDI and outward-FDI as a ratio to total domestic fixed capital is found to have a negative impact on the labor share. (4) Union density is found to have had a statistically significant effect in 1991-1998. This finding is consistent with the efficient bargain model in which firms and workers bargain over both wages and employment. But union density is insignificant in 2000-2009. This implies that since the financial crisis in 1997, the bargaining institution in Korea has been approaching the right-to-manage model in which firms and unions bargain over wages and then firms set employment unilaterally. (5) Variables for domestic financialization measured by dividend-income ratio and financial-fixed assets ratio have an insignificant effect on labor share.