KJC Korea
Journal Central

There are many discussions about whether Collusion by Algorithm can be regulated under the fair trade regulatory framework. However, there is no discussion considering the uniqueness of online platform market structure. With this problem in mind, this paper attempts to analytically identify the regulatory possibility of Collusion by Algorithm linking the market structure specificity of online platforms. As a result of the analysis, depending on the type of Collusion by Algorithm, it was found that even information exchange agreements could not be confirmed. In addition, in the competitive bottleneck market, which is the market structure specificity of the online platform, the competition restriction of Collusion by Algorithm is ambiguous. Thus, it is not easy to judge the competition restriction in reality. This study found that, considering the uniqueness of the market structure of online platforms, Collusion by Algorithm may have different regulatory possibilities and policy considerations in the stages of proof of agreement and competition restriction, depending on the type of Collusion by Algorithm.

This study analyzed the actual operation of the regulatory sandbox from the perspective of regulatory reform and derived implications. A review was conducted for the regulatory sandbox approval tasks in the field of industrial convergence from 2019 to 2021. According to the analysis, designation of special cases for demonstration accounted for 75.3% of the total, and multi-ministerial tasks accounted for 22.7%. Most of the approval tasks (96%) included additional conditions, and 162 of the additional conditions were economic regulations, and by detailed type, 35.8% business scope limitation, 11.1% manpower conditions, 8.6% facility conditions, 6.8% user limitation, and 6.8% regional limitation. As a result of the analysis of the regulatory improvement tasks, 34 of the 198 regulatory sandbox approval tasks were completed. Based on the analysis results, it was confirmed that various innovations in the industrial convergence sector were being attempted through the regulatory sandbox, and cooperation between companies and the government through the regulatory sandbox continued. Nevertheless, active cooperation among regulatory ministries with many multi-ministerial tasks is required. It is required to closely verify the validity and necessity of economic regulations when they are included. In addition, efforts to analyze and collect data after applying the regulatory sandbox should be concentrated.

This study investigates the factors that influence decision lag in the regulatory improvement process using the policy lag theory as a framework. Social network analysis is utilized to measure the collaborative characteristics of regulatory agencies. 198 cases of regulations in the corporate field registered on the Regulatory Information Portal between 2017 and 2018 are analyzed using multi-level analysis. The study found that decision lag is more likely to extend when the benefits of regulatory improvement are concentrated on a specific policy target group. In regulatory work, the more inbound and outbound requests for collaboration, the higher the lag in regulatory improvement decisions. Additionally, betweenness and eigenvector centralities of regulatory agencies are found to significantly shorten decision lag. These results highlight the importance of these factors in improving the efficiency of regulatory improvement processes and contribute to regulatory policy and practice.

The rapid growth of the digital economy brings uncertainties and information asymmetries, which hinder the effectiveness of regulatory policies. This study examines regulatory governance in response to the fast-paced technological changes. It aims to analyze how to effectively address these changes from the perspective of regulatory governance. To achieve this objective, the study conducts surveys among companies in emerging industry sectors and public officials to assess the current state of regulatory governance and propose improvements for a seamless transition to the digital economic environment. Based on the findings, the study recommends the implementation of various measures to enhance private sector leadership, agility, and foresight. Furthermore, it suggests establishing a formal mechanism to collect opinions from market participants and ensuring sufficient information for analyzing and adapting to regulatory changes, thereby promoting the public interest.