서강대학교

초록/요약

This dissertation aims to build a basis of concrete knowledge on the characteristics and effects of exports of cultural goods. The objectives of this thesis are two-fold: to a) find how exports of cultural goods influence overall exports, and to b) identify factors which determine cultural exports. First, empirical analyses using the gravity model show that 100% increase of Korea’s cultural exports has the effect of increasing overall exports to them by 3.9-4.7%. The impact on reproducible cultural goods is 3.8-6.1%. Similarly, survey analyses, using multiple regression models, show that consumption of Hallyu and the related Korean cultural goods is positively affect the willingness to buy Korean consumer goods in China. In case of Vietnam, however, Hallyu is not a significant variable. Second, according to the gravity model analyses, the overall positive impact of cultural exports seems to be more concentrated in exports of nondurable consumer goods, but exports of some durable goods are also strongly influenced by the exports of cultural goods. Meanwhile, survey analyses show that contact with Hallyu leads Chinese and Vietnamese consumers to mainly purchase Korean nondurable or direct consumption goods which are directly related to the experience of Hallyu. In China and Vietnam, consumption of the Hallyu-related cultural goods is a much stronger variable that affects the willingness to buy Korean durable consumer goods. Third, based on gravity model analyses, the overall positive impact on durable consumer goods is larger in higher income nations due to the higher purchasing power of those countries. Fourth, the theory that consumption of cultural goods is addictive is also empirically verified. That is, the one-year lagged cultural exports of Korea significantly affect the current cultural exports. Based on survey analyses, the image of Korea, as well as consumption of Hallyu, is explained by word of mouth effect in China and Vietnam. This also proves that the process of accumulation of consumption capital exists. Fifth, both the consumption of Hallyu and its related Korean cultural goods positively influence the image of Korea. The improvement of the image of Korea after consuming Hallyu positively affects the willingness to buy Korean consumer goods. This study proves that Korea’s policy that promotes international competitiveness of cultural industries since the mid-1990s was a step in the right direction and should be strengthened. This study shows that the importance of cultural exports is much more than its actual size because Korea’s cultural exports have a positive effect on overall exports. Moreover, according to this study, current consumption of cultural goods depends upon an accumulation of previous experience. That is, consumers tend to purchase such cultural goods that they previously had contact with. This implies that once a country’s cultural goods gain a certain level of popularity in other countries, its reputation (or market power) can be sustainable without experiencing much market competition based upon short-term factors such as prices. In this respect, competitiveness of cultural industries is a source of long-term exporting potential in terms of its impact on overall exports as well as by itself.