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In this study, demographic characteristics and importance-satisfaction analysis on reliability, expertise, speed, and safety were conducted on actual shipping companies, shippers, transport companies, port support companies, and others to use as basic data for strengthening the competitiveness of container terminals. In addition, the impact on the importance-satisfaction of customers using container terminals was analyzed. Through the importance-satisfaction analysis (IPA) of the selected attributes of customers using the container terminal, there first identified the evaluation measurement items that require improvement. By analyzing the influence of selection attributes on the reuse intention of container terminal users, the most influential measurement items that promote reuse of container terminal users were identified and the influence of evaluation measurement items was presented. As a result of the verification, Durbin-Watson showed a value close to 2 at 1.851, indicating the independence of the model, and multicollinearity among independent variables was confirmed to be absent as the VIF index was less than 10 except for reliability. This appears to be a model suitable for multiple regression analysis, and the selection attribute factors were confirmed to have a significance probability value of <0.001. By identifying the selection attributes and satisfaction levels that container terminal users consider important through importance-satisfaction analysis, it will be possible to more accurately identify customer needs, improve container terminal operation efficiency, and strengthen container terminal competitiveness.

Since 1990s, all countries in the world have deeply recognized various climate catastrophes causing by the climate change. Recognizing this possible severity of human being's future by climate change, UN members have adopted several conventions including Paris Convention, and have duty implement to its nationally determined contributions (NDCs). As well known, EU has made consistent endeavors taking the lead to resolve the world-wide serious problems due to climate change. Namely, EU promulgated its CBAM in July 2021 to reduce world widely production of carbon-intensive products and use of embodied carbon dioxide emissions in global value chains. EU CBAM is scheduled to implement in full scale from January 2026. However, there are much possibilities of hot trade disputes against CBAM between EU and the much affected countries including China, Russia, India, etc, and also LDCs. Most of developing countries argue that EU CBAM is contrary to the principle of free and fair trade in GATT/WTO system. Therefore, there is much possibility of serious international trade disputes if the officially announced CBAM is enforced without considering the position of developing countries. This article, therefore, examines rationales of EU CBAM, the positions of other countries including main developing nations, conformity of CBAM with WTO rules. And also, it explores the supposed scenarios of trade disputes in WTO/DSB between the concerned country groups, and tries to find and propose some alternatives and implications of EU CBAM.

This study assesses the asymmetric impact of bilateral exchange rates on trade flows between Korea and Indonesia. Focusing on 10 major industries, we analyze how the rise and fall of bilateral exchange rates affect exports and imports. The results indicate that bilateral exchange rates have a greater asymmetric impact on imports than exports in the long run. However, in the short run, the effect is greater on exports than imports. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of the asymmetric effects of bilateral exchange rates and contribute to the effective design and management of strategic economic policies.

This study aims to present practical implementation strategies and alternatives to enhance ESG capabilities in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). By analyzing measurable ESG indicators applicable to SMEs, the study proposes strategic solutions and an integrated model to support sustainable ESG management. The empirical analysis was based on data collected from 87 valid responses, drawn from manufacturing SMEs defined according to the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Small and Medium Enterprises—specifically, those with an average annual revenue of 150 billion KRW or less and fewer than 300 employees over the past three years. The results indicate a significant relationship between ESG strategies and performance. Internally-oriented strategies positively influenced environmental and governance outcomes, while externally-oriented strategies showed a stronger impact on environmental and social performance. These findings suggest that tailored ESG strategies can enhance SMEs’ sustainable competitiveness and long-term performance.

This article investigates how the ascent of the digital economy reshapes the structure of rural employment in Shaanxi, China, over 2013–2022. Using county-level panel fixed-effects models and instrumenting for potential reverse causality, we find that higher digital-economy scores significantly increase the female employment share while reducing formal wage employment. These dual shifts highlight both opportunities and vulnerabilities in the rural labor market. The findings highlight the necessity of robust digital infrastructure investments, comprehensive skill enhancement programs, and efficient employment service platforms to reduce transaction costs and mitigate information asymmetries. Policymakers are encouraged to foster collaborative stakeholder engagement to effectively address rural employment challenges and ensure inclusive economic development.

This paper examines the consistency the EU NGT Regulation with the WTO’s SPS and TBT. Even though the EU’s NGT regulation is less strict than the existing the EU GMO regulation, there are still points to consider from an international trade law perspective, especially SPS and TBT. First of all, in order to comply with SPS, it would be necessary to be able to provide scientific evidence that the degree of protection provided by the proposed NGT regulation can be proven. Claims of potential risks of NGT crops without such evidence will ultimately violate SPS and cause unnecessary trade friction with other countries. Next, if consumer information is the objective of the regulation, it will need to comply with TBT. This requires that NGT measures are necessary and appropriate for the purpose of providing consumer information. In addition, overly complex authorization or labeling schemes will unduly restrict international trade. Korea needs to improve regulations and change the legal system, and will move in this direction. At this point, the EU NGT Regulation can serve as a guide for Korea, and it should be harmonized with international trade norms such as the WTO to prevent unnecessary disputes in trade transactions between countries.

This paper empirically investigates the effect of interest groups’ rent-seeking activities on market openness from a political economy perspective. Using panel data from 37 OECD countries over the period 2010 to 2023, the degree of market openness is measured by trade freedom, investment freedom, and financial freedom. The main explanatory variables include the Corruption Perception Index and the Control of Corruption indicator, while control variables consist of the logarithm and squared terms of GDP per capita and the Democracy Index. The empirical results show that lower levels of corruption are significantly associated with higher levels of trade, investment, and financial market openness. This suggests that rent-seeking activities by interest groups may undermine policy transparency and hinder liberalization. In particular, a nonlinear U-shaped relationship is observed between economic scale and market openness, indicating that more advanced economies tend to adopt more open trade policies. Moreover, while the level of democracy positively influences trade and financial openness, it shows a negative association with investment freedom.

This study analyzes the effects of cultural and economic distance on art export performance (HS Code 97). Using panel data on Korea's art exports to 52 countries from 2013 to 2024, the results show that cultural distance has a positive effect on art exports, while economic distance has a negative effect. Notably, the interaction between these two factors demonstrates a significant positive effect on art export performance. This suggests that greater cultural distance enhances the exotic appeal and scarcity value of artworks. These effects can offset the negative impacts of economic distance and potentially increase the positional goods value of art. The findings indicate that art trade follows unique patterns distinct from conventional goods, with cultural and economic factors interacting in complex ways. The study concludes that differentiated export strategies considering these unique characteristics are necessary for enhancing art export performance.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of servant leadership on Chinese employees’ promotive voice behavior, and mediating role of psychological entitlement and moderating role of role ambiguity in the relationship. Despite the growing interest of researchers in servant leadership and promotive voice behavior, existing research has not deeply investigated the psychological mechanism and boundary condition in this relationship. Thus, this study examined the relationship between servant leadership and promotive voice behavior based on social exchange theory and social cognitive theory. Furthermore, we focused on the mediating role of psychological entitlement, which can enhance confidence in promotive voice behavior, as well as the moderating role of role ambiguity from the work perspective with the leader-subordinate relationship perspective from servant leadership. The result showed that servant leadership was positively related to promotive voice behavior. Also, psychological entitlement positively mediated the relationship between servant leadership and promotive voice behavior. The moderating effect of role ambiguity was significant for the relationship. More specifically, the relationship between servant leadership and promotive voice behavior was positive when the perception of role ambiguity was low, whereas the relationship is not significant when the perception of role ambiguity was high. These findings provide meaningful theoretical and practical implications for leaders and researchers.

The international community recognizes the seriousness of the climate change problem and is making various efforts to respond to it. In the shipping industry, the IMO proposed a 100% reduction target for 2050 compared to 2008 based on the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement of the UNFCCC. In line with the international community's carbon neutrality trend, the South Korean shipping industry faced pressure to decarbonize. The South Korean government and major domestic shipping companies are participating in the trend of the international community, declaring carbon neutrality and building and implementing roadmaps for sustainable development. However, it is not easy to achieve the 2050 carbon neutrality goal due to the high cost associated with the transition to carbon neutrality, technical problems, and insufficient government policies. Accordingly, this study suggests measures to establish carbon neutrality in the domestic shipping industry, such as providing incentives to secure green ships, training carbon-neutrality experts, supporting the development of carbon-free fuels, and expanding support for green shipping Corridor.

As digital trade expands, artificial intelligence(AI) technologies are increasingly utilized to automate trade processes, enable predictive analytics, and deliver personalized services. However, effective AI deployment depends on large-scale personal data collection and cross-border data transfers, which often conflict with divergent national data protection laws, creating legal uncertainty and regulatory tension. This study analyzes the challenges arising from the intersection of AI use and data privacy in digital trade and proposes strategies for institutional harmonization. By comparing major legal frameworks such as the EU's GDPR, the U.S.’s CCPA, and China's Cyber security laws, it identifies patterns of regulatory conflict across jurisdictions. The study suggests policy solutions including the establishment of global minimum standards, multilateral adequacy and mutual recognition mechanisms, integration of data protection provisions in digital trade agreements, and the construction of a global data governance framework.

This study aims to measure the efficiency of local governments and empirically analyze its determinants. To this end, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) using the BCC model was applied to 17 metropolitan cities and 5 special cities in Korea over the period 2016 to 2023— a period marking the diffusion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and accelerating regional economic transformation. The number of employees in the manufacturing sector and the year-end balance of tangible assets were used as input variables, while value-added was used as the output. DEA efficiency scores were then used as the dependent variable in a Tobit regression, with fiscal indicators such as local revenue, fiscal self-reliance ratio, fiscal independence ratio, and debt-to-asset ratio as independent variables. The results show that local revenue and the fiscal self-reliance ratio have a statistically significant positive relationship with efficiency, while the debt-to-asset ratio has a significant negative effect. Fiscal independence was found to be statistically insignificant. These findings suggest that enhancing local efficiency requires not only increased financial input but also a focus on securing predictable, sustainable financial resources and developing strategic fiscal governance. The results provide meaningful policy implications for improving local economic performance under constrained fiscal conditions.