This article is divided into five chapters: chapter I is the introduction on the subject under examination; chapter II is devoted to explaining the phenomenon of concentration of capital. The writer has attempted here to show the degree of capital concentration in Korean shipping in 1974 and 1979 and made a comparison with that of the selected leading maritime nations; chapter III has been devoted to the economies of scale and the optimum size of shipping firm, firstly introducing empirical studies of the British shipping firms, which had been conducted by American and British economists in the early 1960's, and secondly made a survey of Korean shipping activity during 1974-1979 in terms of economies of scale; chapter IV deals with the reasons of concentration of shipping in light of recent advances of ship technology; chapter V sets forth conclusion.

• 민성규