Research

Working papers

“The effect of remote working on household waste: Evidence from South Korea” with Hee-Seung Yang. Mar. 2025. [Working paper].

Abstract

Remote working, or Work-From-Home (WFH), is now one of the prevalent work arrangement around the world. However, its impact on the social welfare—such as waste generation—is largely unexplored. This paper examines the causal impact of remote working on household waste generation in South Korea using COVID-19 as a natural experiment. The findings reveal mixed results. While overall household waste in district remain unaffected, districts with higher WFH levels experience increased plastic and textile waste but decreased food waste. These results suggest that remote working may influence current consumption patterns and lifestyle. Understanding these environmental implications is crucial for promoting sustainable work models and responsible waste management in a digital and remote world.

“The China shock and internal migration: Evidence from bilateral migration flows” with Jaerim Choi and Seung Hoon Lee. Mar. 2025. [Working paper].

Abstract

Using Korean administrative datasets spanning almost two decades and covering nearly the entire bilateral internal migration flows between local labor markets, we identify the causal impact of the China trade shock on internal migration. The trade shock affects in-migration, but not out-migration. Separating further the China trade shock into export and import shocks, we find that export expansion increases in-migration, whereas import competition reduces in-migration. By decomposing the impact of trade shock into age groups, we find that effects of trade shocks in destination are robust and statistically significant across age groups; and most pronounced for middle-aged people between the ages of 45 and 64. Finally, households with male heads are more likely to be influenced by the trade shock compared to those with female heads, due to the greater reliance of the manufacturing sector on male labor.

Publications

[2] “Does political conflict hurt immigration? Evidence from the South Korea – China THAAD Dispute” with Jongkwan Lee. Aug. 2024. Published in Southern Economic Journal [Paper].

[1] “The well-being of cities: Estimating migration attractiveness from internal migration across Korean cities” with Seung Hoon Lee and Ji Sub Park. Feb. 2024. Published in Global Economic Review [Paper].