The role of interfirm transactions on cross border integration in East Asia: A case study of interlinkages between Busan in Korea and Fukuoka in Japan

• Main Authors: Park Jonghyun, Boku Sohgen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Belgrade - Faculty of Geography, Belgrade 2017-01-01
• Series: Zbornik Radova: Geografski Fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu
• Subjects: cross border metropolis; international urban system; busan; fukuoka; asia
• Online Access: https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/1450-7552/2017/1450-75521701107P.pdf

The purpose of this article is to discuss the inter-urban linkage between the non-capital cities in Korea and Japan, focusing on the relationships between Fukuoka and Busan, as part of an empirical research on the internationalization of non-capital cities in East Asia. We attempt to subdivide international trade activities of firms and analyze foreign destinations based on cities. The linkage between Busan and Fukuoka mainly sits at the apex of the international urban system, from the perspective of the gateway of 'Physical Distribution' and 'Business Trip'; however, links to Tokyo and Osaka mostly act as 'Transaction' and functional cores such as sales channels. Fukuoka airport and Shimonoseki port have been utilized as a gateway. Fukuoka Airport has a promising evaluation concerning accessibility and convenience. Shimonoseki port has certain advantages due to the short time required for customs formalities, brevity of the shipping time and convenient daily shipping schedules.