Reports

The Korean economy is known for its innovation and wealth of intellectual property (IP), having one of the highest patent applications in the world. Its IP-intensive industries are deeply integrated in the global economy through their active participation in global value chains. Such integration, however, exposes Korean IP-intensive products to high counterfeiting and piracy risks. This report examines the global trade in counterfeit products that infringe on Korean intellectual property rights (IPR) and its impact on the Korean economy. Specifically, it estimates the effects in terms of sales and job losses in the Korean manufacturing sector, as well as the impact on government revenues. The report concludes that the infringement of Korean IPR poses a significant threat to the Korean economy. The magnitude and widespread impact of this issue call for the implementation of comprehensive and coordinated solutions.

This report discusses the role of Korea's active labour market policies (ALMPs) and one-stop shops for employment and social services in fostering a more inclusive labour market. It highlights the innovative digital tools that the Korean authorities have adopted using state-of-the-art technologies to provide ALMPs as well as their strategy for continuous improvement of the digital ecosystem. This report on Korea is the fifteenth country study published in this series.

Improving rural development, well-being and maximising the potential in rural areas requires greater horizontal and vertical co-ordination at the national, regional, and local level as well as the mainstreaming of rural issues across all policies. However, taking an integrated approach to rural development - where rural ministries and non-rural ministries coordinate in the development of polices and initiatives - is often very challenging. Rural proofing is a tool to help policy makers overcome this challenge and develop more nuanced rural-friendly policies. It involves making policy decisions based on evidence on rural dynamics available in a timely fashion to enable changes and adjustments. In practice, however, it is a mechanism that has proved complex to design, implement, and sustain. This article explores how more robust rural proofing models can be developed, with health as a focal point. Drawing on lessons from different OECD member countries, it develops a roadmap for more effective rural proofing mechanisms to help embed the practice in the policy space and culture of governments.

Le Comité d’aide au développement (CAD) de l’OCDE mène tous les cinq à six ans un examen par les pairs qui passe en revue les efforts de coopération pour le développement de chacun de ses membres. Ces examens visent à améliorer la qualité et l’efficacité de leur coopération pour le développement, en mettant en évidence les bonnes pratiques et en recommandant des améliorations. Quatorze ans après son adhésion au CAD en 2010, la Corée accroît rapidement son aide publique au développement (APD) et assume davantage de responsabilités à l’échelle mondiale. Comme en témoigne la révision de la loi-cadre opérée en 2020, la Corée adopte une approche plus cohérente à l’échelle de l’ensemble de l’administration afin de mettre en œuvre un budget plus conséquent. La cohérence entre les politiques nationales et internationales, étayée par la législation, peut encore être améliorée. Cet examen par les pairs formule un ensemble de recommandations destinées à aider la Corée à renforcer les partenariats stratégiques et le dialogue avec ses partenaires, et à utiliser l’examen de ses capacités institutionnelles à l’échelle de l’ensemble de l’administration et des évaluations pour déterminer à quels organismes d’exécution affecter en priorité les hausses d’APD. Il est recommandé à la Corée d’accroître le nombre de professionnels qualifiés chargés du développement dans l’ensemble de l’administration, de déléguer davantage de responsabilités aux bureaux pays et de faire preuve d’une plus grande appétence pour le risque afin d’étendre ses opérations avec le secteur privé.

More than 1.3 million people die each year in road crashes, with millions more suffering life-altering injuries. The Safe System approach aims to eliminate deadly crashes through a comprehensive, shared-responsibility framework. This report offers guidelines for establishing Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs) to assess the effectiveness of Safe System policies in reducing road fatalities and serious injuries. It identifies international best practices for constructing and deploying SPIs, focusing on the case of Korea.

Subnational governments in Asia and the Pacific are key providers of the public services and infrastructure required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Given this role, it is essential that policymakers and development partners understand and support the effective functioning of multi-level governance structures and subnational government finances across the region. This joint OECD-ADB report provides a comprehensive overview of subnational governments across Asia and the Pacific. It covers over 467,000 subnational governments from 26 countries, which represent 53% of the world’s population and 40% of global GDP. On average in 2020, subnational governments in the region accounted for 29% of total public expenditure (8.8% of GDP), 35% of total public revenue (8.5% of GDP) and 38% of public investment (2% of GDP). Harnessing unique data from the 3rd edition of the OECD-UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment, the analysis highlights how decentralisation and territorial reforms have reconfigured the structures and finances of subnational governments in the region. It covers a range of topics including fiscal rules, financial management capacity, priority-based budgeting, asset management and the use of public-private partnerships.

This report addresses housing inequities through a series of analytical chapters and case studies. The cross-country chapters examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on housing demand, develop a proposal for a green land value tax, evaluate the dynamics between fiscal autonomy and housing supply responsiveness, as well as explore the drivers of inter-regional migration. The case studies unravel the changes of Korea's progressive national property tax and a programme to address regional imbalances, assess the impact of the US property tax system on housing, dive into Norway's property taxation in relation to inequality, as well as survey Belgium's approaches to housing policy. With a blend of empirical data and critical analysis, the report underscores the pressing need for comprehensive strategies in addressing housing inequities. It also offers insights for policymakers and scholars, highlighting the complex balance between national and local housing policies.

Over half of Korea’s population lives in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. This report looks at how the region’s transport system and land uses serve different socio-economic groups and offers insights for reducing inequalities in access. Are services and opportunities equally accessible to all residents of the Seoul Metropolitan Area? Which factors influence accessibility gaps? How can transport planning and decision making take into account accessibility and equity considerations?tr