Economic Integration and the Changes in Logistics Circumstances in Northeast Asia -Emphasizing the Strengthening of Competitive Power of Hub Ports-

Park, Byung-Hong The Korea Port Economic Association 2004 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.20 No.1

This study focuses on analyzing the potentiality of economic integration and the changes in logistics circumstances in Northeast Asia. So far as the changes in logistics circumstances in it, it is emphasized a complex transport system by sea and by land, according to the connection with the Railroad of South-North in Korean Peninsula and the Railroad of the Continent of Siberia. It first considers the propriety of economic integration among Korea, China and Japan in Northeast Asia. The first stage of the economic integration in Northeast Asia means it is started from contracting of FTA(Free Trade Agreement) which just agreed at the Summit Conference among Korea, China and Japan in ASEAN+3(Korea China. Japan). At that time, the Summit Conference between the three countries have agreed to study on the propriety of FTA charging by own country's research organization. At first China has been hesitated to join with FTA in spite of high growth in his economy, because the time is not yet for it. After all, China also decided himself to participate to FTA together with Korea and Japan by reacted to the stimulus at the conference atmosphere between every country of ASEAN. The discussion on the changes in logistics circumstances also is needed to deal simultaneously with a situation in the economic integration in Northeast Asia. It is worthy to be paid our attention to the restoration of the Railroad of South-North in Korean Peninsula, which was disconnected for a long time from the dispute between South Korea and North Korea. Therefore, it needs to be investigated together with the movement of economic integration in Northeast Asia. The reaction on the restoration of the Railroad of South-North in Korean Peninsula is not only limited to the transport of trade cargo between South Korea and North Korea, but also it is reached to all of Northeast Asia, so far as to all of the area of Russia, Europe, and the other neighbor countries. Because this railroad is connected with the Railroad of the Continent of Siberia. The transport of trade cargo in Northeast Asia have been mostly depended upon the transport by sea until now. However, it would be divided into the transport by sea as well as by land from now. As its economic effect, the restoration of the Railroad of South-North in Korean Peninsula could be not only contributed to reduce the cost of logistics within South Korea and North Korea, but also within or without in Northeast Asia, Russia, and Europe. Consequently, it could be improved the power of international competitiveness of goods in Northeast Asia, according to the formation of a complex transport system together with the transport by sea and by land.

Is Port Authority the Best Choice of Korean Port Reform?

Jun, Il-Soo,Hochstein, Anatoly The Korea Port Economic Association 2002 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.18 No.2

In response to insurmountable pressure for a broad distribution of political power between the central government and local governments, the Korean Government pushes for the establishment of the local port authority as the optimum choice to achieve its goal. Starting with the Pusan and Incheon ports, the local port authority system is expected to setout the dramatic change in port management system throughout the Korean ports. However, this paper points out that the port reform choice should take into account the specific features of the society and country and some basic questions should be clearly answered beforehand. The fundamental questions are: whether institutional reform will markedly improve the ports managerial and operational efficiencies? and what will be the benefits and costs, compared to those of not changing? Without rigorous and comprehensive analysis on these issues in the institution transition, haphazard port reform will have the possibility to increase port users costs and disrupt the efficient port services. Experiences around the world clearly show that the indiscriminate copy of port reform found in other countries may be neither feasible nor practical presently in Korea. They also indicate that the port reform should be made on a gradual basis with full control of the pace.

PRESENT AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS OF PORTS IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Ha, Dong-Woo The Korea Port Economic Association 2002 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.18 No.2

The continuing pace of technological change and the trend toward larger and faster ships is evident as shipping lines compete in seeking economies of scale in the global market and ports. become increasingly reliant on sophisticated equipment. Across the Asia and Pacific region some of the worlds most modern container ships are calling at an extensive network of mainline and feeder ports. This paper shows that during the period from 1999 to 2011, Asian container trade is expected to continue to increase more rapidly than the world average, i.e., 7.2 per cent per annum compared with the world average of 6.3 per cent. It is forecast that the total volumes of international containers handled at the ports in Asia and the Pacific will increase at an average growth rate of 7,2 per cent per annum. In order to handle the anticipated port container traffic in 2011, new container berths are required in nearly every country in the Asia and the Pacific region. This will entail very significant capital investment requirements. If countries in the UNESCAP region are to position their ports to meet the challenges of the next decade, there is an urgent need to implement more robust strategies to address important issues including prioritisation of port development projects, promotion of private sector participation in ports, emphasis on productivity and preparation for intermodal integration and logistics growth.

On the Situation Analysis and Developing Plan for International Seaborne Trade among South Korea, North Korea and China

Lu, Dongqin,Park, Gyei-Kark The Korea Port Economic Association 2013 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.29 No.1

Since 1990, North Korea's economic situation has drawn the international community's attention and became an important factor to analyze and judge the situation in North Korea, in the Korean Peninsula and even in the whole Northeast Asia. As North Korea's neighbors, Sino-Korean trade and Inter-Korean trade play an important role in North Korea's foreign trade. Based on situation analysis, the great connection and difference between Sino-Korean trade and Inter-Korean trade are given an introduction. Also by exploring reasons for Sino-Korean trade development, we can gather some insights for Inter-Korean trade development.

Port Competition in East Asia and Korean Strategy

Chang, Young-Tae The Korea Port Economic Association 2001 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.17 No.2

This paper aims to describe port competition in East Asia and the Korean government's port strategy. In doing so, the paper provides an overview of global changes in international trade, the shipping industry and the port business. It also delineates the status of port competition in the region. Particular examples are taken from the competition among the ports of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, as well as those of Pusan and Kwangyang, Kaohsiung, Kobe, and Shanghai and Yantian. The port competition in East Asia is reviewed and classified in two groups: north-tier competition among traditional major players, such as Kobe and Pusan, and dark horses such as Shanghai, Kwangyang and perhaps Yokohama; and south-tier competition among the three traditionally big players Kaohsiung, Hong Kong and Singapore, and the relative newcomers of Yantian in China, and Tanjung Pelepas In Malaysia. Due to the enlarging of ships and expansion of port activities, the boundary between the two tier frontiers breakdown, or they may even merge, into one grand frontier, in the foreseeable future. Although it appears that Asian ports are not being very aggressive in preparing for the future of mega-carrier in their plans, it is true that China, Korea and Taiwan are moving full steam ahead in comprehensively developing their container ports on a large scale. It therefore seems to be the perfect time for rival ports to explore a port alliance strategy to fight against the trend toward alliances between of many shipping lines.

Future Northeast Asia Transport and Communications System

Rimmer, Peter J. The Korea Port Economic Association 2001 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.17 No.2

Korea has been at the forefront of efforts to enhance international cooperation in transport and communications within Northeast Asia. This effort is driven not only by the benefits that could accrue to the Korean Peninsula but also to all nations in the region. Mutual cooperation within Northeast Asia would reduce transport and communications costs and provide the basis for a regional transport and logistics network. Before progress can be made towards an integrated transport and communications system in Northeast Asia, however, there is a need to evaluate its prospects, outline a visionary plan, and detail a preferred strategy. The strategy to develop the Korean Peninsula as the gateway for Northeast Asia should harmonize with the region's common transport (and communications) policy The strategy adopted by South Korea is focused primarily on the development of an improved logistics infrastructure that would be extended to North Korea upon reunification. The seaport and airport developments In Korea will have to be supported by improved access to planned high-speed railways, expressways and freight distribution centers that, in turn, are to be integrated with new telecommunications and computer technologies. The benefits from these improvements will be lost unless existing government monopolies controlling seaport, airport, rail, road and expressway developments are commercialized to ensure that the price of transport reflects its actual cost. Technical harmonization between different modes should be promoted to facilitate efficient intermodal transport between the Korean Peninsula and the rest of Northeast Asia.

Searching for Best Practices in Developing Ports as Logistics Centers

Jun, Il-Soo,Yi, Sang-Won The Korea Port Economic Association 2005 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.21 No.4

Global firms are seeking to implement their global logistics strategies in two ways: the use of centralized inventories and/or postponement of final assembly. These strategies stress the importance of regional logistics centers. In most cases, regional logistics centers are located in or near ports so that changing demands can be met with economy, reliability and flexibility, The port can profit not only from the activities of logistics center itself, but also the increasing flow of cargo through the logistics center. A number of ports respond to this trend by shifting their emphasis from traditional cargo-handling services to value-added services. This paper presents guidelines drawn from the best practices of ports to be successful logistics centers to provide many aspects of value-added logistics services. These include: Effective Planning and Development of Logistics Centers; Institutional Incentive Scheme; Development of Free Trade Zones; Financing Infrastructure related to Logistics Centers; Developing Logistics Service Providers and Logistics Professionals; Development of Information Technology; and Regulatory and Administrative Issues. These guidelines will help managers of ports and policy makers of governments in the East Asian region learn to recognize, analyze and adopt the best practices for use.

Prospects and Challenges of Palestinian Logistics System

Hassouna, Abdallah M.A.,Kim, Hyun-Duk The Korea Port Economic Association 2013 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.29 No.1

The purpose of this paper is to shed the light on one of the most important influential factors for the development the Palestinian economy, which is logistics system. The discussion about the Palestinian state and its economy arise after the UN General Assembly voted to grant Palestine a nonmember state. Palestine is considered land-locked country, although it has seashore. Although Palestine has seashore, it is considered land-locked country due to the lack of sovereign logistics infrastructure. International Trade with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt is done through land border crossings. Palestinian international trade to European, Asian, and American countries is currently done through Israeli airports and seaports. Almost 99% of the Palestinian imports are through land. Israeli policies and procedures incur Palestinian exports additional transportation costs when delivering their products to Israeli ports and Airport and even when transit these cargos to neighboring countries through Israeli controlled areas. Therefore, without direct access to international markets, the Palestinian economy will not be able to compete in international markets, and will continue its dependence on the Israeli economy. Considering that the current situation will continue, alternative routes for international trade to avoid using the Israeli ports are Aqaba Port in Jordan and Port Said in Egypt. In the long term, having a seaport and Airport in Gaza, Airport in the West Bank, and constructing the Corridor connecting Gaza and the West Bank, is the only solution capable for independently integrating the Palestinian economy with the region and other countries in the world, and therefore creating competitive advantage for the Palestinian exports.

A Study on Economic Linkages between Korea and Japan

Lee, Jae-Ki The Korea Port Economic Association 2004 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.20 No.1

This paper investigates how Japanese economic shocks affect the Korean economy and analyzes the channels through which they are transmitted. Also, the relative importance of domestic and foreign shocks on the dynamics of certain key macro variables is investigated. The techniques of vector autoregression (VAR) are employed to investigate the international transmission of economic disturbances. The VAR methodology is a particularly useful means for characterizing the dynamic relationships among economic variables without imposing certain types of theoretical restrictions. The dynamic effects of Japanese economic shocks on the Korean economy are evaluated by estimating variance decompositions (VDCs) and impulse response functions (IRFs). This study supports the notion of economic dependence of a small open economy such as Korea to a large economy such as Japan.

Logistics network and economic development in China

Li, Kevin,Qi, Guanqiu The Korea Port Economic Association 2015 韓國港灣經濟學會誌 Vol.31 No.1

물류시스템은 점점 더 중국의 경제성장을 위한 중요한 원동력 중 하나로 인정받고 있습니다. 물류효과의 폭이 넓어의 범위와 중국의 물류인프라, 물류산업의 발전과 함께 급속한 발전을 이루었습니다. 이 논문은 중국에서 2003년부터 2012년까지 기간 동안 31 지방을 포함하는 데이터 집합을 사용하여, 물류 발전과 경제 성장 사이의 관계를 조사합니다. 요인분석은 국가경제성장의 물류의 발전에 미치는 영향을 정의물류함수의 전체평가를 얻기 위해 적용됩니다. 고정효과패널 데이터의 접근방식에 따르면, 중국의 경제성장에 물류발전의 중요하고 긍정적인 영향은 그사이에, 해안지방과 내장 지방 사이 의 경제발전에 대한비교분석 도 실시, 발견된다. 결과는 경제성장에 물류발전의 영향은 서부지역에 비해 동부지역에서 높은 것이 좋습니다. Logistics network has been increasingly acknowledged as one of the important driving force for economic development in China. With the scope of logistics effect broadening and the development of logistics infrastructure, both logistics network and economy in terms of GDP in China has experienced rapid development hand in hand. This paper investigates the relationship between logistics network and economic growth, using a dataset covering 31 provinces over the period from 2003 to 2012 in China. Factor analysis is applied to obtain a total evaluation of logistics function defining the impact of logistics network on the national economy growth. According to fixed effect panel data approach, a significant and positive impact of logistics network on economic growth in China is found, meanwhile, a comparative analysis regarding economic development between coastal provinces and interior provinces is also conducted. The results suggest that the impact of logistics network on economic growth is higher in eastern provinces than that in western provinces. The policy implication for other nations, in particular for developing nations, is logistics network should be regarded as an important driving force for economic development, and investment should be made in advance to achieve the best efficiency in economic development and planning.