Effect In Korea Research Articles

Survey on the Arsenic exposure and Health Effects in Korea

Survey on the Arsenic exposure and Health Effects in Korea

Cross-Cultural Comparison on Ethical Fashion Consumption Behavior and Related Factors: Focusing on Consumers in South Korea and Germany

This study analyzes the relation of the consumption values and ethical fashion consumption behavior as well as other influential factors between Korean and German ethical consumers based on the `Modified Theory of Planned Behavior.` A survey was conducted on female consumers in their 20s and 30s, who experienced ethical fashion consumption in Seoul and Berlin. A factor analysis, reliability analysis, F -test and multiple regression analysis were performed for model verification. The research results indicated that emotional value (in case of Korea) and functional value out of consumption values (in case of Germany) have significant effects in regards to the influence of consumption values on ethical self-identity. The effects of ethical self-identity on ethical fashion consumption behavior indicated that Korean ethical self-identity influenced the ethical fashion consumption behavior of moderating and simplicity and eco-friendly certification versus local consumption as well as above factors (in case of Germany) explained by ethical self-identity. Both variables had a negative moderating effect in Korea in regards to the moderating effects of social comparison and materialism in the relations of ethical self-identity and ethical fashion consumption behavior; however, only materialism was an influential factor in Germany. The results of the research variables by individualism/collectivism indicated that the horizontal-collectivism group showed the highest ethical self-identity along with the lowest materialism tendency that had a high point of consumption behavior towards local consumption. However, the vertical-individualism group was outstanding. The consumption behavior aimed at moderating and simplicity.

Hopeless future and the desire for welfare expansion: Testing the prospect of upward mobility hypothesis in South Korea

Since 2011, the demand for welfare programs has significantly increased in South Korea. Yet, the motivation behind the surge is under-explored. I argue that it is driven by changes in the income prospect due to increasing income inequality and deteriorating social mobility since the 1990s. I test the prospect of an upward mobility hypothesis using the 2009 Korean General Social Survey. I find that people with a pessimistic prospect of income and a negative perception of equal opportunity demand more redistribution. Commonly known factors such as current income and political ideology have no effect in Korea. Consistent with the prospect of upward mobility hypothesis, the motivation behind the demand for a welfare expansion and the emergence of welfare politics is a pessimistic income prospect in the lives of Koreans.

Korean Firms’ Chinese Sequential Investments and Strategic Decision Making

Korean firms are motivated to take advantage of China’s locational advantage, frequently described as cheap labor. Actually, there are two entry models for FDI: single investment and joint venture. Chinese government had provided a tax incentive policy to seek out joint venture opportunities for the purpose of acquiring foreign firms’ advanced technologies and know-how’s. An eye-catching feature amongst Korean firms’ Chinese FDI’s is that FDI’s have been sequentially implemented. Alternatively stated, a few Korean firms have been pursuing follow-up investments subsequent to initial investments. Such sequential investments cause industry hollowing-out effect in Korea. Accordingly, high unemployment rate is an unavoidable social phenomenon. Intuitively, large corporations are more likely to be able to pursue sequential investments as they have larger internal resources compared to small and medium size enterprises. This points out parent’s size effect. However, in fact, Korean firms’ Chinese sequential investments have been rather pursued more actively by small and medium size enterprises. We tackles two main questions. First, under which conditions, Korean firms become to prefer a single investment strategy than formulating joint ventures. Second, how small and medium size enterprises can pursue sequential investments is studied. According to main findings, Korean firms are motivated to implement single FDI’s even when they can collaborate with trustworthy partners as long as adverse selection problem is embedded. This suggests that local information is a prerequisite to joint venture as adverse selection can always occur. Considering the fact that small and medium Korean firms pursue single investments, they need more local information to choose joint ventures. Second, foreign market know-how plays a more important role in a decision making for sequential investment, and thus even small and medium size firms can implement sequential investments although their parents’ supports are smaller than large enterprises.’ Thus, the sustainable growth of Korea’s small and medium firms can be secured through sequential investments by accumulation market experiences in the long-run.

Do the Capital Regions Have the Agglomeration Effects in Korea? - Focused on the Determinants of the Productivity of Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms -

Do the Capital Regions Have the Agglomeration Effects in Korea? - Focused on the Determinants of the Productivity of Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms -

High Incidence of Breast Cancer in Light-Polluted Areas with Spatial Effects in Korea.

We have reported a high prevalence of breast cancer in light-polluted areas in Korea. However, it is necessary to analyze the spatial effects of light polluted areas on breast cancer because light pollution levels are correlated with region proximity to central urbanized areas in studied cities. In this study, we applied a spatial regression method (an intrinsic conditional autoregressive [iCAR] model) to analyze the relationship between the incidence of breast cancer and artificial light at night (ALAN) levels in 25 regions including central city, urbanized, and rural areas. By Poisson regression analysis, there was a significant correlation between ALAN, alcohol consumption rates, and the incidence of breast cancer. We also found significant spatial effects between ALAN and the incidence of breast cancer, with an increase in the deviance information criterion (DIC) from 374.3 to 348.6 and an increase in R2 from 0.574 to 0.667. Therefore, spatial analysis (an iCAR model) is more appropriate for assessing ALAN effects on breast cancer. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show spatial effects of light pollution on breast cancer, despite the limitations of an ecological study. We suggest that a decrease in ALAN could reduce breast cancer more than expected because of spatial effects.

Hopeless Future and the Desire for Welfare Expansion: Testing the Prospect of Upward Mobility Hypothesis in South Korea

Since 2011, the demand for welfare programs has significantly increased in South Korea. Yet, the motivation behind the surge is under-explored. I argue that it is driven by changes in the income prospect due to increasing income inequality and deteriorating social mobility since the 1990s. I test the prospect of an upward mobility hypothesis using the 2009 Korean General Social Survey. I find that people with a pessimistic prospect of income and a negative perception of equal opportunity demand more redistribution. Commonly known factors such as current income and political ideology have no effect in Korea. Consistent with the prospect of upward mobility hypothesis, the motivation behind the demand for a welfare expansion and the emergence of welfare politics is a pessimistic income prospect in the lives of Koreans.

The replication process of a global localisation strategy: a case study of Korean firms

Providing differentiated products and services in emerging markets to counter stagnation in developed markets and foster growth in emerging markets, including BRICs, has recently become a source of competitive advantage. Therefore, it is important to examine the success factors of a localisation strategy. This paper presents a research framework that describes the nature of localisation strategies and their replication processes. Using this research framework, we present case studies on two LG Electronics divisions, LG India and LG Poland, describing the story of LG executives who implemented the empowerment management style in India and Poland. The lessons of the localisation successes in these two countries provided an excellent learning effect in Korea. Moreover, the middle manager who learned the principles of localisation from a senior executive in India moved to Poland, where he successfully applied the same principles of localisation. The lessons of this case study are summarised and its managerial implications are discussed in this paper.

An Announcement Effect of Korea Best Brands by Interbrand on Korea Equity Market

Reputable brands play a significant role on the long-term performance of a company and sustainable customer perceptions.Investors need toregard brand valuation reports like Korea Best Brands as important information. This study uses the event study methodology toinvestigatethe announcement effectof Korea Best Brands. The results of this study are as follows. Korea Best brands announcement have positive impacts on listed companies in the first year, it was not seen consistentsince that time. Also,fallen and ascended group in brand valueshave no effects before the event daybut have a negative effect after the event day. Significant increasing in brand value prevents a negative effect of unusual falling.

Effect of Korea’s Export Assistance System on Export Promotion

This paper examines whether or not the export assistance system has contributed to export promotion in Korea. The current study starts from examining the stationarity of the concerned variables. The unit root tests show that all variables are not I(0) Time Series. Instead, they are I(1) Time Series. According to Johansen cointegration test, the concerned variables are not cointegrated. Thus, this study estimated OLS (Ordinary Least Square Method) based on the first differenced data. The empirical evidence shows that export insurance and trade exhibition did not have a significant effect on exports. That is, the export insurance system and trade exhibition system have not contributed to export promotion in Korea. The empirical evidence shows that duty drawback did have a significant effect on exports. That is, the efficiently managed duty drawback system may contribute to export promotion significantly in Korea

Trade Effects of Korea’s FDI in Asian Countries : The Case of Korea’s Textile Industry

Trade Effects of Korea’s FDI in Asian Countries : The Case of Korea’s Textile Industry

Policy Recommendations for Korea’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) Assistance to Tackle Youth Unemployment in Developing Countries

There are 1.2 billion youths (population aged between 15 and 24 years old) in the world, constituting 17 percent of the world’s population. With the increase in youth unemployment around the world, many countries have turned to Vocational Education and Training (VET) as a possible policy solution, both domestically and as part of their development assistance strategy. Unfortunately, the VET systems in many developing countries have critical problems such as the lack of funding, low quality of the training programs, and lack of coordination between different government ministries. During the past few decades, the Republic of Korea (henceforth “Korea”) has supported numerous VET projects in developing countries. However, there are several problems with Korea’s VET assistance policies. This paper examines four policy options: 1) status-quo, 2) ALMP, 3) Career guidance, and 4) training in informal sector to improve the effectiveness of Korea’s VET assistance in addressing youth unemployment.

The Relationship between Airbnb and the Hotel Revenue: In the Case of Korea

This study investigates the impact of Airbnb’s listing on the hotel revenue in Korea. We use the panel regression model for this purpose. First, it finds that Airbnb’s listing is not related to the hotel revenue. Even though the number of tourists is continuously increasing, most of them use hotels rather than Airbnb in Korea. Because the website of Airbnb has started from 2010 in Korea and has a low awareness, it has a less effect in Korea. The listing of Airbnb is rapidly growing in 2014. Given that the data of 2014 adds to the study, the result can be changed. Second, the estimate of the unemployment rate is strongly significant. If unemployment rate increases, the demand for hotel decreases. Because unemployment rate explains the present economic situation, the increase of the unemployment rate can imply a recession and the decrease of the trip can be followed. Third, the exchange rate has a positive effect on the hotel revenue, especially in Jeju. When the exchange rate is higher, the tourists from the abroad increase, and thus hotel revenue can increase. It implies that the tourists sensitively respond to the exchange rate. Forth, the estimates of the vacation dummy variable are strongly significant in Busan and Jeju. There is a ton of tourists in the holiday (especially summer) season, and thus it is common in the increase in the hotel revenue during this season. Keywords: Airbnb, Class of Hotel, Hotel Revenue, Macroeconomic Variables

Population Aging and Healthcare Expenditure in Korea.

Korea's rapid population aging has been considered as a major factor in increase of healthcare expenditure (HCE). However, there were no clear empirical evidences in Korea that show if population aging has a significant impact on HCE. To examine the 'red herring' argument, this study used Heckman, two-part, and augmented model with Korean National Health Insurance claim data for the deceased and survivors of aged 20years and over verified by Korean National Health Insurance Service between January 1 and December 31, 2010. Our results suggest that when time to death is controlled for as explanatory variable, HCE decreases as a function of age, and HCE during the terminal year increases as a function of time to death, and HCE in the last quarter of life decreases with age. Therefore, this study affirms that there is no age effect in Korea experiencing the most rapid population aging among Asian countries. An increase in the number of elderly, due to the aging of baby boomers, may not increase a share of HCE out of gross domestic product (GDP) in Korea. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Effectiveness of Korea's Capital Flow Management System and its Implications on Exchange Rate Policy

This paper examines the effectiveness of the three macro-prudential measures introduced by the Korean government in 2010 and 2011: (i) introduction of limit for FX forward positions of domestic banks and foreign bank branches, (ii) reintroduction of tax on foreign investors' earnings from Korean government bonds, and (iii) imposition of macro-prudential stability levy on non-deposit foreign currency liabilities appeared in bank balance sheets. The results show that the three measures were not successful: The limits of FX forward position did not lead to the decrease in foreign borrowings. The reintroduction of the tax did not reduce foreign investments in Korean government bonds. Lastly, the levy on non-deposit foreign currency liabilities did not lower the foreign borrowings from the banks and did not result in more financing through deposits for banks. The ineffectiveness of the capital flow management system in controling the amount of foreign capital flows implies that the system might not be effective in mitigating the pressure on exchange rate caused by excessive volatility of foreign capital flows.

The Effectiveness of Korea's Capital Flow Management System and its Implications on Exchange Rate Policy

This paper examines the effectiveness of the three macro-prudential measures introduced by the Korean government in 2010 and 2011: (i) introduction of limit for FX forward positions of domestic banks and foreign bank branches, (ii) reintroduction of tax on foreign investors’ earnings from Korean government bonds, and (iii) imposition of macro-prudential stability levy on non-deposit foreign currency liabilities appeared in bank balance sheets. The results show that the three measures were not successful: The limits of FX forward position did not lead to the decrease in foreign borrowings. The reintroduction of the tax did not reduce foreign investments in Korean government bonds. Lastly, the levy on non-deposit foreign currency liabilities did not lower the foreign borrowings from the banks and did not result in more financing through deposits for banks. The ineffectiveness of the capital flow management system in controling the amount of foreign capital flows implies that the system might not be effective in mitigating the pressure of exchange rate caused by excessive volatility of foreign capital flows.

The anti-inflammatory effect of Taraxacum coreanum on lipopolysaccharide induced inflammatory response on RAW 264.7 cells

Objectives : Taraxacum coreanum (TC) have been used as a traditional medicine to treat inflammatory diseases and anti-oxidant effect in Korea. However, the anti-inflammatory effect of TC water extract on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation is not well-known. Therefore, this study was performed to identify the anti-inflammatory effect of TC on LPS induced inflammatory. Methods : RAW 264.7 cells were treated with 500 ng/mL of LPS. Water extracts of TC (0.1, 0.25, 0.5 mg/ml) was treated 1 h prior to LPS. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Levels of nitric oxide (NO) were measured with Griess reagent and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) . We also examined molecular mechanisms such as mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor-B (NF-κ B) activation by western blot. Results : Water Extract from TC itself did not have any cytotoxic effect in RAW 264.7 cells. TC treatment inhibited the production of NO production, and pro-inflamamtory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β on protein and mRNA levels. In addition, TC treatment inhibited the LPS-induced activation of MAPKs such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 kinases (p38), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and NF-κB. Conclusions : In summary, our result suggest that treatment of TC could redu ce the LPS-induced inflammation. Thereby, TC could be used as a protective agent against inflamm ation. Also, this study could give a clinical basis that TC could be a drug or agent to prevent inflammation.

Assessing the Socio-Economic Effects of Korea's Nuclear Power Policy

Although nuclear power is one of the most critical issues in Korean energy policy, there are few comprehensive studies on its direct and indirect economic impacts. In this study, we analyze the economic changes caused by alternative nuclear power policies, including caps for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For this purpose, we construct three scenarios: Expansion, no change, and reduction in the share of nuclear power in total power generation. Methodologically, we develop a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model with detailed energy and electricity sector representation and apply the model by utilizing current and projected data on the Korean economy and its energy demand structure. The simulation results quantitatively demonstrate economic and welfare losses when the share of nuclear power in total power generation decreases.

The Ideological Changes and Life Cycle Effects in Korea : Focused on the 2004, 2008, and 2012 National Assembly Elections

This essay ascertains the changes and characteristics of ideological contours in Korea between the 2004 and 2012 National Assembly elections. As a result, this study finds that Korea’s ideology has become more conservative and polarized between 2004 and 2012. In addition, this piece shows the life cycle effects (or ageing effects), instead of the generational effects, are associated with the recent conservative changes in Korea’s ideology. This essay leaves a homework for a future research to disentangle the interwoven relationships between the generational effects and the life cycle effects across various political generations.

Effect of Asian dust storms on mortality in three Asian cities

Asian dust storms (ADS) have affected several Asian countries and have been a major concern due to adverse effects on public health. The occurrence of ADS differs in each country based on geographical features and distance from the storms' origin. Many studies have reported significant associations between ADS and morbidity. However, regarding the association between ADS and mortality, only a few studies have found statistically significant ADS effects in Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the effects of ADS on daily mortality in three Asian cities (Seoul, South Korea; Taipei, Taiwan; and Kitakyushu, Japan) and to explore the differences in the extent of effects in each city. We performed time-series analyses using a generalized additive model (GAM) with Quasi-Poisson regressions. Deaths due to accidents or external causes were excluded. We used a dummy variable as an indicator of ADS and considered lag effects of ADS. Stratified analyses by disease and age and sensitivity analyses controlling for NO2, SO2, and PM10 were also conducted respectively. Additionally, influenza epidemics were adjusted for considering seasonal patterns, and a meta-analysis was performed. We reported results as excess mortality by percentage due to Asian dust storms. We found significant excess mortality in Seoul and Kitakyushu as follows. In Seoul, ADS showed adverse effects on mortality under 65 years old (lag 2: 4.44%, lag 3: 5%, lag 4: 4.39%). In Kitakyushu, ADS had adverse effects on respiratory mortality (lag 2: 18.82%). Contradictory to results in Seoul and Kitakyushu, ADS seemed to have a protective effect in Taipei: total non-accidental mortality (lag 0: −2.77%, lag 1: −3.24%), mortality over 65 years old (lag 0: −3.35%, lag 1: −3.29%) and respiratory mortality (lag 0: −10.62%, lag 1: −9.67%). Sensitivity analyses showed similar findings as the main results. Our findings suggest that ADS may affect mortality in several Asian cities, and that a dust storm warning system could help protect people from dust storms.