In the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, the need for a deeper understanding of the various economic phenomena emerging amidst economic globalization, the key factors driving them, and domestic and international inequality and the gap between the rich and the poor has grown even stronger.
Furthermore, as we enter the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the world is becoming hyper-connected and hyper-intelligent, bringing about tremendous changes in the structure of production networks. Furthermore, how profits are generated and distributed through the value chains of global commodity and agricultural supply chains is emerging as a major issue.


Over the past 20 years since the launch of the World Trade Organization, nearly all countries in the world have become WTO members, and regional blocs are becoming more macroscopic.
In addition to theories that can explain these changing aspects of the global economy, detailed empirical data must be utilized and analyzed to properly understand how the outcomes of global economic growth are specifically expressed across industries, economic sectors, regions, and countries.
In a global economic environment of intensifying competition, Korea has emerged as the world's 11th largest economy, excelling in the semiconductor and automobile industries. This is a crucial time for a deeper understanding of Korea's economic growth, international trade, and foreign direct investment.


The 4th edition of Economic Geography consists of 14 chapters.
Although it is based on the 13 chapters of the third edition, the content has been reorganized to enable a more efficient understanding of the rapidly changing economic phenomenon. In particular, three chapters have been dedicated to adding content on capital and finance, the role and function of the state, and the trade structure of agricultural products and the supply chain of agricultural products.


To avoid giving the impression that economic geography is somewhat rigid and boring, we have tried to increase visibility and arouse interest by presenting economic phenomena in tables, figures, or diagrams whenever possible.
The 4th edition contains 282 tables and 503 figures spread across 14 chapters.
Additionally, to help readers who are unfamiliar with the concepts and terms necessary for understanding economic phenomena, supplementary information is described in detail in boxes for reference.