In response to the ICT industry’s growing labor shortage, this study analyzed job postings by company type and experience to identify workforce needs using Social Network Analysis (SNA). Experienced candidates were in higher demand than entry-level ones. Java and Linux remained essential, while Python and AWS demand grew among experienced professionals,  serving as key connectors in the job–skill network. Entry-level System Engineer roles were linked to Linux, whereas experienced Back-end Developer roles were tied to Java and MySQL. The study recommends: strengthening education–employment links and public R&D support for SMEs; and (2) developing flexible, demand-driven training programs to enhance skills

This study investigates the impact of public research and development (R&D) investment in energy technology on carbon intensity across 30 OECD countries from 1995 to 2020. The results of the empirical exercise, employing the IEA Energy Technology RD&D Budgets database, show that per capita CO2 significantly decreases in the share of energy R&D investment relative to GDP. However, it takes two- to three years to see the effects of these investments. Our findings emphasize the role of carbon pricing mechanisms, such as emissions trading systems and carbon taxation. Robustness tests on the dynamic panel model confirm the impact of energy R&D on emissions reduction.
 

This study classifies the growth trajectories of Korean startups and empirically analyzes the factors that influence their growth types. Using panel data from “Innoforest” and “Korea Rating and Data”, we estimate the growth speed and acceleration of sales and accumulated investment during years 2 to 6 after founding through a growth curve model. Based on these estimated dynamic indicators, we apply cluster analysis to categorize startup growth trajectories into four distinct types.

The results show that the majority of startups fall into either the “General Growth Type” (77.4%), characterized by modest early growth that gradually accelerates, or the “Post-Growth Plateau Type” (13.8%), which experiences initial expansion followed by decelerating growth. A smaller group of startups exhibits rapid early growth, which is further classified into an “Accelerating High-Growth Type” (5.5%), where growth continues to accelerate over time and a “Decelerating High-Growth Type” (3.3%), where early rapid growth slows in later years.

A multi-nomial logit analysis of the determinants of these growth types reveals that industry sector, geographic location, early-stage investment, early R&D activities, and initial financial soundness are all significantly associated with the likelihood of belonging to each growth category. 

These findings highlight the heterogeneous nature of startup growth trajectories and suggest that early conditions and strategic decisions play a critical role in shaping the sustainability and direction of startup growth.

Our study analyze the impact of changes in the U.S. political uncertainty on Korean listed firms’ short-term stock price, focusing on the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, that occurred on July 13, 2024. Using event study method, we examines 664  cases of companies listed on the KOSPI market through univariate analysis and multiple regression analysis to identify the determinants of Cumulative Abnormal Returns (CARs) and Buy-and-Hold Abnormal Returns (BHARs).  Our empirical results are as follows: an industry-level analysis world  input-output tables revealed that firms belonging to industries with  higher linkages to the U.S. and China were more negatively affected, We  measure foreign dependency through the export ratio (%) of sales and company history analysis, finding that firms with higher export ratios are more severely affected. Our study suggest that dramatic political shifts in the U.S., such as an assassination attempt, affects on Korean firms’ performance, with implications for understanding the influences at both the industry and firm levels, as well as policy differences.
 

Amid soaring LNG spot prices, concerns have emerged regarding potential strategic behaviors by direct LNG importers, which may increase  their profits at the expense of Korea Gas Corporation and users of the  average rate system. These concerns stem from observed patterns of  reduced direct imports during periods of high spot prices and increased  direct imports when spot prices fall. However, direct LNG importers argue that such behavior is infeasible under the current system, as selective purchases based on spot price fluctuations are not allowed. To address this controversy, this study examines the mechanisms underlying  fluctuations in spot prices and direct import volumes. The findings reveal  that direct LNG importers have an incentive to enhance profits by reselling  long-term contracted volumes to overseas markets and intentionally  increasing the proportion of spot market purchases during periods of  high spot prices. This behavior explains the observed trends in spot  price and direct import volumes. Furthermore, the study theoretically  investigates how these actions disadvantage Korea Gas Corporation and  users of the average rate system. These findings clarify the optimal choice  of direct LNG importers and offer policy implications for regulating  future direct LNG import practices
 

The long-term decline in industrial accidents in South Korea has recently reversed due to expanded recognition criteria and increased approval rates. In response, policy discussions continue over increasing  the employment of dedicated safety and health managers to enhance  workplace safety. This study empirically examines their impact using  data from the Industrial Safety and Health Survey.

 The results show that in manufacturing and services, appointing at least one safety manager reduces serious accidents, with additional hires  offering diminishing returns. Health managers help prevent minor accidents  but show no added effect with further appointments. In construction,  higher occupational safety and health (OSH) expenditures are more  effective in reducing accidents than increasing manager numbers. 

 These results suggest that simply increasing the number of dedicated managers is insufficient. Instead, effective policies should target industry- specific risks and adopt a fault-based, differentiated regulatory framework that adjusts oversight based on accident history and demonstrated safety efforts.

 The TIC(Testing, Inspection, Certification) industry has long developed into an oligopolistic service market where a small number of companies provide services under state management and supervision. In this  process, the industry is facing an industry-wide crisis due to the lack of  response to ICT convergence and market opening. In this context, this  study examines key factors influencing the competitiveness of the testing  and certification industry, focusing on confidentiality and expertise. Using  conjoint analysis, we assess the part-worth values of key attributes, including  original document tamper prevention, digital test reports, the number of  confidentiality violations, competency of testing personnel, investment  rate in testing and certification infrastructure, report quality, and service fees. The results indicate that confidentiality is more critical than expertise,  with confidentiality violations and tamper prevention having the greatest  impact on client preferences. Market share simulations demonstrate that  improvements in confidentiality and expertise significantly contribute to  market expansion, while fee reductions serve as an effective strategy for  strengthening competitiveness. This study provides practical insights for  testing and certification institutions, highlighting the need to enhance  confidentiality, expertise, and pricing strategies to improve service reliability  and professionalism
 

 This study analyzes the determinants of innovation among sellers in the digital platform-based e-commerce market and examines the impact of the market structure formed by platforms on companies’ strategic choices. Specifically, it compares the effects of market environment factors perceived by companies (e.g., degree of competittion and technological uncertainty) and market strategies (e.g., platform selection, multi-homing, and export status) on various innovation indicators (product innovation, service innovation, business process innovation, innovation activities, innovation collaboration, and digital transformation) across different industries.

 The analysis employed a comprehensive set of data, integrating the Fair Trade Commission’s registry of telecommunications sales companies with Market DB Pro’s list of platform-using sales companies, along with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Policy’s corporate innovation survey data. To analyze the differences in the average innovation indicators  across market environments, an independent samples t-test was employed.  In addition, to analyze the impact of distribution strategies on innovation incentives, a Probit model was used for the binary innovation indicators. 

This study aims to clarify the structural conditions and industry-specific heterogeneity surrounding innovation incentives for sellers in the platform  industry and provide an empirical foundation for balanced policy design.

UK spec may vary. Based on In the process of implementing carbon neutrality around the world,eco-friendly energy such as renewable energy is expanding. Because renewable energy, however, is highly variable and has a distributed form of energy, new challenges are created in balancing electricity demand and supply at the local level. Korea’s demand response projects have been mainly implemented in industrial and commercial sectors with high electricity consumption, but since 2018, small-scale demand response projects have been implemented for residential use as well. This study targets demand response projects in the industrial, commercial, and residential power sectors and estimates cost-benefit ratio (BC ratio), net present value (NPV), and internal rate of return (IRR). and break-even point (payback period). However, since the demand response project is a project in which the government intervenes and receives national subsidies, it should be analyzed separately from the government perspective and the user perspective. Additionally, in order to reflect the uncertainty of cost and benefit variable, this study intends to perform a stochastic economic analysis using Monte Carlo simulation methods. The result shows that in the case of the residential demand response project, the economic feasibility was very low from the government perspective due to the large amount of government subsidies, but from the user perspective, the economic feasibility was very high. In the case of commercial and industrial demand response projects, it was found that there was a need to expand their distribution as it is a desirable policy that can achieve a win-win for all stakeholders by securing economic feasibility from both the government and user perspectives.

This study examines the participation of the Chungcheong region in the global value chain (GVC), which has a large intermediate trade scale and an economic scale similar to that of Greece and Portugal. To measure the GVC participation of the Chungcheong region, the regional input-output tables of the Bank of Korea and the multi-regional input-output table (MRIO) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) were integrated and connected in 2010, 2013, and 2015. First, the Chungcheong region was integrated from Daejeon, Sejong, Chungnam, and Chungbuk regions into a regional input-output table composed of two regions: Chungcheong and other regions outside of Chungcheong. The ADB's MRIO was integrated into an international input-output table consisting of Korea and other countries, and the Korean portion of the international input-output table was integrated using the regional input-output table composed of two regions previously prepared. The GVC participation of the Chungcheong region measured using the MRIO was found to be much higher than that of regions outside of Chungcheong and even higher than that of Greece and Portugal with similar economic scales. 

When examining the forward and backward participation of the GVC, the Chungcheong region showed a steady rate of around 45% for each during the target period. Furthermore, when divided into simple and complex participation, the forward simple participation rate of the Chungcheong region was higher than its complex participation rate, which was similar to that of regions outside of Chungcheong. However, the backward complex participation rate of the Chungcheong region was higher than its simple participation rate, which was different from other regions outside of Chungcheong. When examining by industry, the GVC participation of the manufacturing industry in the Chungcheong region was higher than that of the service industry, especially in the chemical,
electrical and electronic equipment and precision instruments, and transport equipment industries. However, the transport equipment industry showed a different pattern from other industries, with a higher forward complex participation rate than its forward simple participation rate.