History of Korean modern retailing : : repressed consumption and retail industry, perceived equality and economic growth / / by Jong-Hyun Yi.

• Author: Yi, Jong-Hyun.
• Place / Publishing House: Boston : : Brill,, 2015.
• Year of Publication: 2015
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (288 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

In History of Korean Modern Retailing Jong-Hyun Yi shows how the Korean retail industry has developed since the 1970s, focusing on the relationship among government, consumers and retail companies, especially the department store. While generally it is said that underdevelopment of the Korean retail industry in the 1970s was attributed to economic immaturity, he argues it was artificially formed by strong consumption repression by the government. He also examines how consumption repression contributed to economic growth. Such initial condition in developmental period is a crucial factor to explain other distinctions like explosive growth and remarkably short heyday of the department store afterward. With this, Jong-Hyun Yi traces the correlation between economic growth and stratification of the consumption since the 1970s. He proves that equality or inequality of consumption is a more influential factor for economic growth than that of income.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- 1 Theories and Framework -- 2 Backward, Unstratified Retail Industry and Rapid Economic Growth in the 1970s -- 3 Consumption Repression, Frugal Consumers and Passive Retail Industry in Rapid Economic Growth in the 1970s -- 4 Modernizing, Stratifying Retail Industry and Rapid Economic Growth since the 1980s: The Golden Age of the Department Store Industry I -- 5 Consumption Liberalization, Aggressive Consumers and Active Retail Industry in Rapid Economic Growth since the 1980s -- 6 The Stratified Retail Industry and the Sign of Relatively Low Economic Growth since the Middle of the 1990s: The Golden Age of the Department Store Industry II -- 7 Distinctive Evolution of Korean Retailing: Theoretical Consideration and Contemporary Developments -- 8 Conclusion -- 9 Epilogue: Korean Retailing since the 2000s -- Bibliography -- Index.