Posts from the ‘Economics’ Category
A recent report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes summarizes the legal and regulatory framework for transparency and exchange of information in Korea.
The report notes that Korea has 86 exchange of information partners covered by 83 DTCs (Double Tax Conventions) and 3 TIEAs (Tax Information Exchange Agreements) and that Korea fully endorses the international standard for transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes. Read more
The recently released Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 2011-12 shows South Korea is ranked 44th in press freedom, falling below Botswana, South Africa and Ghana.
It was expected that Korea would fall in the rankings. In March 2011, the Reporters Without Borders country file on Korea was was less than positive:
Infrastructure investment in World Bank client countries by Korean sponsors
January 25, 2012
junotane
The World Bank has released a report entitled Infrastructure investment in World Bank client countries by Korean sponsors, which shows that during the period 1990-2010 project sponsors from the Republic of Korea implemented nineteen infrastructure projects in low and middle income countries.
A report carried by Yonhap on 23 January cited Ministry of Unification figures showing that production at the Kaesong Industrial Complex expanded 14.4 percent year-on-year with total production reaching USD369.9 million during the January-November period in 2011, up from USD323.3 million worth of production for all of 2010.
On 18 January 2012, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (International Relations Program) at the University of Pennsylvania released the United Nations University Edition of the Global Think Tanks Report 2011. According to the report’s preface:
“The 2011 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings marks the fifth edition of the annual report. As in previous years, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania’s International Relations Program has relied on the indexing criteria and process developed by James G. McGann for ranking think tanks around the world.
New OECD study Doing Better for Families Korea country summary available on the OECD website.
“At 1.15 children per woman, Korea’s total fertility rate in 2009 was the lowest in the OECD. The decline in the fertility rate is mainly explained by married women having fewer children – families with three or more children have become rare in Korea – and a rise in the number of single women. Korean women who are more educated, have jobs, and live in cities are likely to put off marriage…
On 19 December 2011, the Korea Stock Exchange Index (KOSPI) fell 4.2 percent on news of the death of Kim Jong-Il and ended the day 3.43 percent down. On 20 December 2011, the KOSPI traded modestly higher following gains from the technology and the automobile producer sector with the majority of analysts forecasting additional support for the market on 21 December 2011.
On 19 December 2011 North Korean media announced Kim Jong-Il passed away. It reported the death occurred on 17 December 2011 and that physical fatigue was the cause of death. Resources on North Korea after Kim Jong-Il:
Jeffrey Robertson, Political change in North Korea, Parliament of Australia, http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rp/2007-08/08rp19.pdf
A new article in the journal International Security by Bruce W. Bennett (Rand Corporation) and Jennifer Lind (Dartmouth College) entitled “The Collapse of North Korea: Military Missions and Requirement” (may require login) adds to the debate on the lack of preparation for the sudden collapse of North Korea.
The article focuses on military preparedness and the potential missions required. Importantly, it also highlights the lack of preparation in several key areas, including the lack of multilateral planning; the limited consideration of potential collapse in contemporary South Korean defence planning and the need to reform the South Korean reserve structure; and the need to establish more links with North Korean military and government officials. The article is the result of a comprehensive consultation process involving some of the best contingency planning resources.
According to Yonhap New Agency, in November 2011 South Korea’s exports of food and other agricultural products achieved a new monthly high for the year with demand from Japan and China contributing substantially to the growth.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries stated that South Korean exports of food and agricultural products grew 15.1 percent year-on-year for the month of November, reaching USD654.9 million. Read more
