Insolvency in the Corporate Sector and Financial Crisis in Korea
- 1 January 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy
- Vol. 7 (2), 267-281
- https://doi.org/10.1080/13547860220134842
Abstract
The paper argues that by the time of the 1997-98 crisis, Korea's corporate and financial sectors became highly vulnerable to bankruptcy. Evidence is presented showing that between the late 1980s and 1997 the profitability of Korea's corporate sector was on a decreasing trend although it had some short-term ups and downs. It is argued that the declining profitability, which in combination with a rising debt leverage impaired the corporate sector's debt-service capacity, was due to rising labor costs in Korea and increasing competition from labor-abundant, developing countries such as China.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Economic Development in China and Its Implications for JapanPublished by Oxford University Press (OUP) ,2001
- Causes of the Korean Financial Crisis: Lessons for PolicyPublished by National Bureau of Economic Research ,2000