• Korea Trade Review
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.171-194
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• 2020

Although there is a lot of literature on the effectiveness of regional trade agreements(RTAs), it is usually analyzed only using trade-related theories and data. However, this paper has a differentiation in that we examine the linkage between international trade and financial markets through the stock markets reactions when the trade agreements related news arrived. Specifically, using an event study, we look into the Korea-US free trade agreement(KORUS FTA) which is the most commercially significant FTA in almost two decades for both the countries. Korean stock market generally responded more sensitively to FTA news than the US stock market, especially in 'Auto & Parts', 'Electrical Equipment' and 'Chemicals' industries. And the investors' perception toward the effect of KORUS FTA on Korean industries changed from negative to positive as negotiations proceed. Korea has a comparative advantage in the production of labor-intensive goods relative to US, but the economies of scale hypothesis does not hold.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-21
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• 2021

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to develop two medical tourism system models which explain medical tourism phenomenon with a systemic approach. Design/methodology - This research was conducted by using a qualitative data analysis which mainly refers to previous references of medical tourism in the areas of tourism and medicine. Leiper's tourism system model was utilized as a conceptual framework. In-depth interviews with experts in the field were conducted in order to pretest the models. Findings - This research suggests a medical tourism system framework and a medical service provision framework. The first model presents medical tourism components and their relationships within a framework presented in a diagram. The second model shows the relationships among medical services required by medical tourists, the service providers, and service human resources along with movements of medical tourists. Originality/value - The first model presents a spatial composition of medical tourism components and their relationships, whereas the second model shows the linkage among medical services, the service providers, and relevant service human resources along with time sequential steps of medical tourists. These two models are complementary and may be used as useful tools to observe medical tourism phenomenon with a systemic and holistic approach. These two models may enable stake holders avoid unnecessary confusions and conflicts that result in duplication of government policies and a waste of budget and human resources.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.8
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• pp.225-231
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• 2020

The paper aims to investigate the impact of trade integration on business cycle synchronization for the East Asian countries during 2005- 2017 based on the endogeneity hypothesis of Optimum Currency Area criteria. We test the determinants of business cycles by calculating bilateral trade, financial integration, and business cycle synchronization. Applying the system Generalized Method of Moments for dynamic panel data models, the results show that business cycle synchronization is highly associated with trade and financial integration. These findings confirm the endogeneity hypothesis that more trade integration will mitigate asymmetric shocks, and have a positive impact on the business cycle synchronization. The increased trade intensity and financial linkage lead to more correlated business cycles in East Asia. Apart from trade and financial integration, the trade structure differential, monetary policy similarity also influence the business cycle comovement. The significantly negative impact of trade structure differential on business cycle synchronization suggests that countries with less similar structures are more likely to undergo asymmetric shocks. The results also indicate that monetary policy matters for output comovement. This study recommends that the East Asian countries should focus on bilateral trade as well as financial integration with each other to reap benefits from the integration process.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.205-220
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• 2019

This article recapitulates the recent changes in trade laws, which may be accentuated due to the intriguing emergence of fortified protectionism and Mega FTAs. It points out the need to formulate not only the corporate strategy for enhancing the product differentiation and architectural capabilities but also the public policy, which comprises the industrial adjustment policy to cope with possible negative impulses caused by the digital trade and foreign direct investment. It is imperative for Korea to facilitate the alignment between corporate strategy and industrial adjustment policy as an effective means of enhancing industrial structure by nurturing those linkage effects between relevant forward and backward industries. Given the drastically volatile trade norms of multi-track trade policies, it may be a pivotal momentum for Korea to pursue a paradigm shift of its trade policy with a prime objective of achieving such an alignment between corporate strategy and industrial adjustment policy, which affords increased value-added and the further development of product or generic technology instead of resorting to the misuses and abuses of economies of scale and production technology for the maximization of export amount.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.1-25
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• 2016

This study reviews international discussions about the trade-labor linkage and examines the labor chapters of FTAs enforced by the US and the EU from a comparative perspective. Since early 1990s, starting from the NAFTA, the US has included forceable labor provisions in its FTAs and this trend continues to the TPP which was concluded in October 2015. On the other hand, the EU's labor provisions in its FTAs have been composed of promotional elements on labor rights based on cooperations and dialogues. These different features of labor provisions in the US and European FTAs are mainly due to the motives of the FTAs of the US and the EU respectively as well as their domestic situations with regards to domestic law and institutional set-ups. The coordination of labor provisions involves a long-term institutional as well as regulatory convergence which triggers not only economic but also social changes, compared to a relatively short-term effect of tariff elimination. For Korea which has been a FTA partner country both with the US and the EU, it is significant to keep the different characteristics in the labor provisions in mind, particularly in the process of its implementation. Concerning the implementation of Korea-US FTA, it might be problematic if Korean law and its regulatory practice on labor-management relations do not comply with that of the US. The Korea-EU FTA case can also have an indirect impact on Korea's labor laws since it stipulates in its provisions that both parties should have discussions not only within each government but also with the civil communities including NGOs. Thus, Korea should pay more attention to the true meaning in labor provisions of both FTAs in order to promote its firms to be equipped with the right labor-management system in their operations abroad.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.126-142
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• 2021

Purpose - This study discusses the effects of human capital in the formation of GVC linkages. We also investigate GVC intensity between Korea and ASEAN. Design/methodology - To solve the doubling-counting problem in evaluating comparative advantage, RCA has been re-computed using domestic value-added (henceforth RCA_VA) at the country-sector level instead of value of trade. The impact of human capital on GVC intensity was empirically analyzed by establishing a panel data set with four industries (ISIC Rev. 4) in eight ASEAN countries from 2005 to 2015 from OECD-TiVA and WDI. Findings - The empirical results show that human capital has a negative effect on GVC intensity in the agriculture and manufacture industries, while it has a positive effect in the service and information industries. The results do not mean that low human capital is a barrier and inefficient to GVC linkages. Low Value-added activities may be more profitable to some emerging countries. These findings suggest that it is important to accurately identify the competitive elements to increase gains from trade under the GVC. Also, it shows that comparative advantages can be misled by an RCA index evaluated in trade volume under the GVC. Originality/value - This study highlights the importance of human capital as a factor for the efficient formation of Global Value Chain (GVC). This study has different from the literature in analyzing the role of human capital in formation of linkage of the GVC. And we clarify the changing patterns of trade by removing the double-counting problem under the GVC.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.3-33
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• 2010

Paperless trade is a new trade paradigm that has innovated on traditional trade procedures, which relied on manual work in the past, and applied an IT-based e-document standard. To realize paperless trade in Korea, a lot of efforts have been made. Korea has overcome many difficulties, a lack of awareness, trials and errors, etc. at the initial introduction stage and strived to establish a stable infrastructure through the government's policy support and active cooperation with the trade business communities and related organizations. Now, Korea became a well-known leader in IT industry, especially in the paperless trade infrastructure and strategic policies. The one-stop trading system named 'uTradeHub' is operated by a paperless trade service provider, Korea Trade Network(KTNET). uTradeHub includes trade finance and settlement, customs clearance and export and import logistics, improving trading procedures and reducing related expenses. Private-Public joint efforts from Korean government and private sectors which have respectively fulfilled their role and function with market-oriented practical policies and strategies has lead Korea a world leading country in paperless trade. Moreover, Korea expended its efforts to the global areas. Korea has started to activate multi-national paperless trade alliances such as PAA(Pan-Asia e-Commerce Alliance), ASEAL(Asia Europe Alliance for Paperless Trading) as well as established the bilateral cooperative networks with China and Taiwan. The one-stop trading system, uTradeHub should keep close cooperations between nations since trade itself is implemented in a cross-border ways. In the near future, it is expected uTradeHub can achieve best results in the simplification of procedures and cost savings when an international linkage is completely established with international cooperations.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.207-215
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• 2008

Drug approval-patent linkage is the practice of linking drug marketing approval to the patent status of the originator's product and not allowing the grant of marketing approval to any third party prior to the expiration of the patent term unless by consent of the patent owner. Article 18.9.5 of Korea-US Free Trade Agreement requires that Korea introduce the linkage system in drug marketing approval. However, Korea is unfamiliar with the linkage system. In addition, there have been lots of arguments over the impacts of this system on Korean pharmaceutical industry and pharmaceutical market in the future. This report investigated the linkage systems of the US and Canada. The US and Canada have implemented drug approval-patent linkage system since 1984 and 1993, respectively. Both countries have patent lists for drug approvalpatent linkage on which originators are required to list patents on substance, product, and use of their drugs. Generic or follow-on drug applicants must contain a certification regarding each patent listed that relates to the referenced drug. If the patent holder files suit for patent infringement within 45 days of notice of application, drug approval is not allowed for several months - 30 months in the US and 24 months in Canada. Both countries have amended their systems after having experienced unexpected results such as listing improper and additional patents, multiple patent litigations and delayed generic entries. After reviewing the US and Canada's experiences, we suggested three principles needed in implementing the system: protecting patent holder's right; promoting generic drug development and marketing; monitoring the process and the effect of the system.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.143-162
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• 2021

Although awareness of the need to respond to climate change is expanding, various controversies are being raised about the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The EU has announced that they will implement CBAM as responding to climate change and preventing carbon leakage. However, the questions are raised as to whether it is actually effective in preventing carbon leakage. Above all, CBAM has its own contradictions, thus it could not be easy to implement. This is because the possibility of violation of the WTO principles is high and there are many issues in implementation. Emission Trading System (ETS) based on CBAM differs by country, and international linkage is not easy in that ETS is not a widely used system worldwide. The EU's CBAM is highly likely to be used as a trade restrictive tool, and is inevitably subject to trade disputes in that it imposes additional tariffs. The unilateral implementation of CBAM should be restrained unless support from the international community and consideration for developing countries are not taken into account.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.97-113
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• 2005

Korea has actively promoted the Comprehensive Plan for the e-Hub. The policies of Korean government could promote the e-business environment and market conditions in legal and infrastructure terms, but not much of business itself. The reason for this limited success in the e-Trade may result from the broken linkage between government policies and business strategies as well as the business and technical innovation. In this paper, we analyzes the more effective and economic solution for this recovery of broken link in terms of Metamediary. The most successful role of metamediary should compose of three functions - facilitator, collaborator and web service provider. Each of these function is clarified in more detail with the emphasis on the collaboration between the Universities and the government-supported corporations.