• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.385-415
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• 2013

Inter-regional free trade agreements (FTAs) - notably between Asia and Latin America - are growing in numbers and complexity. There is an absence of an agreed methodology for empirical assessments on the content of FTAs and little research. This paper proposes a framework to assess liberalization in FTAs in goods and services and new trade policy issues relating to regulatory barriers. Next, it applies this framework to studying the 22 Asia-Latin America FTAs in existence. The findings suggest that Asia-Latin American FTAs have laid the foundations for inter-regional integration by liberalizing the trade in goods and services and reducing some regulatory barriers. Deepening FTAs and adopting structural reforms will enhance Asia-Latin American integration in the future.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.33-56
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• 2022

Purpose - This paper explains how free trade agreements (FTAs) work as a building block to achieve global free trade and be better than other trade regimes. Design/methodology - This paper utilizes a trade liberalization game setup. Three countries choose a trade agreement strategy based on a given trade regime. Trade agreement is made only when all member countries agree. The paper evaluates each trade regime concerning FTAs and customs union (CU) by area size of global free trade equilibrium on the technology or demand gap between countries. Findings - FTAs make global free trade easier. In this game, there are two main reasons for failure to reach global free trade. First, a trade regime with FTAs makes non-member face difficulties in refusing trade agreements in the existence of a technology gap than a trade regime without FTAs. Also, a trade regime with FTAs causes it harder to exclude non-members in the existence of a demand gap than a trade regime with only CUs. Therefore, a trade regime with FTAs can work better in reaching global free trade. Originality/value - The concept of "implicit coordination" was used, which assumes that FTA members keep external tariffs for non-members the same as before an FTA. Without this consideration, FTA members lower their tariffs to non-members, and it makes non-member refuse free trade easier. FTA can prevent it sufficiently only with implicit coordination. This makes the trade regime with FTAs more effective to reach global free trade.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.1-19
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• 2021

Purpose - This paper aims at analyzing the functions and effectiveness of the cooperation agenda in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), focusing on the cases of Asian countries. This paper estimates the contribution of this agenda to the sustainable development in Asia by providing the 'side payment' of the economic integration that encourages foreign investment and change in global value chains (GVC). Design/methodology - This study analyzes the functions of the cooperation chapter in FTAs by applying the cooperative game theory and reviewing the structures of the related FTAs. Also, as an empirical study, the existing FTA provisions and related development assistant programs in Asia are reviewed in this paper, especially focusing on the FTAs signed by Korea. Findings - Our main findings can be summarized as follows: The drawback of the economic integration, which would be the imbalanced economic benefit, can be redressed by the cooperation chapter in FTAs functioning as a 'side payment'. Indeed, as the examples of Korean FTAs show, more foreign investment and the GVC expansion in Asian countries have been encouraged thanks to the implementation of the cooperation chapters. Originality/value - This paper attempts to find how a legally binding agreement would influence the cooperation agenda in Asia which has never been analyzed despite the increasing number of so-called 'cooperation' chapters in the FTAs.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.509-535
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• 2010

This paper examines the Spaghetti bowl effect that different tariffs and rules of origin in multiple FTAs have resulted in increasing the significantly additional burden for business when it comes to apply for the use of FTA preference. The wide spread of FTAs in the several years, from 2003 to 2010, has been the most important trade policy development in economically important Korea. Korea presently has 5 FTAs in effect, and made 3 additional agreements which will be expected to take effect in next year. With the study result and expecting a growing number of FTAs in Korea in a next decade, the international trading firms will face rise of transaction costs for enterprises, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) to cope with multiple tariffs and rule of origins in FTAs. To help mitigate negative effects and facilitate a more SEMs to use the FTA preference, providing new computer programs system, increasing the awareness of FTA provisions, improving business participation in FTA consultations, and SME support in light of education, and financial support are needed.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.249-273
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• 2014

This study aims to find implications of Korean FTAs and to suggest policy recommendations to facilitate the utilization of FTAs based on the field survey of more than 1,000 trading firms According to the survey, most of the trading firms have utilized FTAs more than once and had agreed that the FTAs have contributed to expansion of their business and trade with partners. However, still a number of firms responded that they have never used FTAs. Even those who are utilizing FTAs expressed difficulties in conforming to the complex rules of origin verification processes and lack of practical information on how to use FTAs. Therefore, government policies need to be more focused on elevating FTA utilization rate and meeting the practical use of FTAs by trading firms. In addition, trading firms were found to express preference to potential FTA partners with large economies in the East Asia and were in the opinion that future FTA agreements should be approached in a way that can reflect the practical interest of the firms.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.67
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• pp.163-186
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• 2015

This study attempts to analyze the trade costs of domestic firms utilizing the FTAs in terms of burden of expenses in managing the rules of origin. In doing so, we classify the managing costs of FTA rules of origin into three categories (that is, (i) ex ante costs from acquiring necessary information and building the infrastructure in the advance stage before the FTAs, (ii) the actual costs of the origin management in the application stage of FTA preferential treatment, (iii) ex post management cost in the preparation stage of origin verification) and perform a survey on the greater details on each category. Using the comprehensive results from the survey regarding domestic firm's use of FTAs, this paper also discusses the issues related to small and medium-sized firms and addresses the concerns involved with their managing costs of FTA rules of origin. Importantly, this paper emphasizes the importance of government supports to reduce inefficiency induced by the additional costs that domestic firms face in their use of FTAs and proposes the various policy implications regarding the managing costs of rules of origin.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.49
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• pp.493-518
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• 2011

The term rules of origin(RoO) actually speaks for itself, referring to the rules which determine the origin of goods in international trade. The importance of RoO has grown significantly as preferential agreements expand and countries have treated similar imported goods differently according to where the product was made. The purpose of this paper is to study the main case study and its implication of RoO in FTAs. According to survey, the degree of using FTAs in Korea export firms is sharply low. Major reasons are that rules of origin differ from country to country in the FTAs, and that Korean firms have yet to work out what the RoO are. Chapter II of this paper views criteria of the determination country of origin of goods. Chapter III introduces the main case study of FTA rules of origin. Chapter VI presents implication through the case studies and finally concluded this study. In conclusion, Korea needs to build up its own position for rules of origin and provides rules of origin experts into the market. In-depth study and evaluation about Korea's existing FTAs RoO should be carried out to prepare for future FTAs.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aviation and Aeronautics
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.153-159
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• 2021

In this study, based on actual data for the past 20 years, the factors affecting aviation trade were identified by classifying the countries that concluded FTAs with Korea and those that did not, through panel analysis. The amount was analyzed by dividing it into exports and imports, and differences between countries with FTAs and non-FTAs were also derived. As a result of the analysis, both exports and imports showed a positive(+) direction for the counterpart country's GDP per capita and Korea's GDP, and a negative(-) direction for the counterpart country's GDP and Korea's per capita GDP in the case of a country that signed an FTA. On the other hand, in the case of non-FTA countries, the GDP of both countries showed a positive(+) direction and per capita GDP showed a negative(-) direction. International oil prices did not show any significant results. As such, the results of the analysis of exports and imports are similar, but the difference is that the GDP variable acts in different directions between countries with and without FTAs.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.107-124
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• 2020

Purpose - We assess the trade remedies rules in a host of Korea's FTAs to explore the trade policies for the effective implementation of FTA trade remedies rules. Also we develop the strategies of the future FTA negotiations of trade remedies rules. Design/methodology - After we review the key features of FTA trade remedies rules, we examine whether the rules are WTO-consistent or not. Next, we touch upon the WTO-plus characteristics of some provisions. Our main methodology is to compare the trade remedies rules in the numerous Korea's FTAs. Another methodology is to link those rules to the relevant WTO agreements and WTO dispute cases with a view to drawing lessons for trade policies and FTA negotiations. Findings - We find that most of the trade remedies rules are WTO-consistent. Moreover, we find that notification and consultation requirment, mandatory lesser duty rule, explicit prohibition of zeroing method, and public interest clause are WTO-plus. We also find that there are limitiations in the application of some global safeguard exclusion rules because of their non-mandatory nature. Originality/value - While most of previous studies focus mainly on the unique aspects of specific FTAs, our study analyzes comprehensively the trade remedies rules in the various Korea's FTAs. Based on the comprehensive analysis, we figure out the areas to be clarified and improved for the effective implementation of FTAs and the strategies for the future FTA trade remedies negotiations. As a consequence, our paper is expected to contribute to the academic research on FTA policies as well as the national economy.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.279-309
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• 2016

The proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a free trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries whose joint gross domestic products (GDPs) account for 36 percent of world GDP and whose mutual trade accounts for approximately 24 percent of world trade. As for most proposed free trade agreements (FTAs), trade economists have provided ex ante computable general equilibrium (CGE) estimates to predict the trade, employment, and real per capita income effects of this agreement, such as ITC (2016). This paper-intended to complement these studies-examines the potential impacts of TPP beyond such traditional CGE estimates, taking a broader economic, governance, and historical perspective. First, we contrast these traditional CGE trade and welfare estimates that treat all firms within an industry as homogeneous with more recent CGE analyses that allow firms' productivities to be heterogeneous. We show that the latter models' trade predictions are much more consistent with ex post empirical evidence of average trade effects of FTAs. Second, empirical evidence now strongly confirms the existence of FTA "contagion." We review this evidence and show that predictive models of the evolution of FTAs indicate that the TPP should be formed. With China now having formed 12 FTAs and negotiating five new ones (including a sixteen member Asia-Pacific FTA), the United States would likely face considerable trade diversion without the TPP. Third, we examine empirical evidence on the likely further economic growth implications of FTAs by reducing firms' uncertainty over trade relations and trade policies. Fourth, we examine empirical evidence on the additional impact of FTAs on consolidating democratic institutions in countries. The TPP would likely help consolidate some of the less mature democracies. Fifth, we examine empirical evidence on the reductions of conflicts (and enhanced peace) between countries owing to the formations of FTAs. We conclude the paper noting that the potential net benefits to member countries of the proposed TPP extend well beyond the real income gains to households based upon traditional CGE models.