Local strength, global weakness: A maritime network perspective on South Korea as Northeast Asia’s logistics hub

Port development in South Korea has taken advantage of the country’s remarkable situation and economic growth during the past decades. However, the governmental ‘two-hub port strategy’ is currently at stake because of fierce competition from Chinese ports. Based on a global database on the daily movements of containerships, this paper proposes an evaluation of the position of South Korean ports within Northeast Asian liner networks in 1996 and 2006. Main results show that although Chinese ports have increased substantially their position in the maritime system, South Korean ports (notably Busan) still keep a dominant hub function in this region. However, a multi-scalar analysis shows the limited global radiance of South Korean ports. Implications for policy and further research are addressed.