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.