Globalization of businesses intensify competition among ports as well as port hinterlands in order to attract cargo volumes. In particular, port hinterlands which can generate their own cargoes and also add values to the cargoes gain growing importance these days. Therefore, in this study, the actual economic impact of the logistics distribution area in port hinterland was analyzed empirically by using real statistical data. Based on the results, the implications for developing and operating logistics distribution area in port hinterlands were also suggested.
The economic effects of logistics distribution area in port hinterlands were estimated separately according to the effect of cargo generation and employment inducement. The scale of total investment and securing foreign investment were also examined. The results indicated firstly that each port hinterland analyzed in this study shows the differences in terms of the effect of creating cargoes. As of 2013, logistics distribution area in Busan New port hinterland creates 877,000TEU(0.89EU/㎡) cargo volumes, while Gwangyang port and Incheon port generate 370,000TEU(0.37TEU/㎡) and 318,000TEU(0.66TEU/㎡) respectively. Secondly, the effect of inducing employment of logistics distribution area in Busan New port hinterland was calculated to be 1,433 persons(1.45person/1,000㎡), for Gwangyang port, 605 persons(0.60person/1,000㎡) and for Incheon port, 987 persons(2.05person/1,000㎡). Thirdly, regarding the scale of securing foreign investment, logistics distribution area in Busan New port hinterland was proved to have 44,702 million won(45.2 thousand won/㎡), for Gwangyang port, 6,393million won(6.4thousand won/㎡), for Incheon port, 5,365million won(11.1thousand won/㎡). Fourthly, logistics distribution area in Busan New port hinterland was revealed to have 149,626million won(368.7thousand won/㎡) of total investment scale, for Gwangyang port, 149,626million won(149.4 thousand won/㎡), for Incheon port, 171,850million won(356.5 thousand won/㎡).