• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.33
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• pp.221-243
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• 2007

A party to a contract is bound to perform its contractual duties. But outside events may make performance impossible, physically or legally. In such a situation a party may wish to plead "force majeure" as an excuse for failure to perform. The laws of most countries have provisions which dealt with force majeure. These provisions, however, vary from country to country and may not meet the parties' requirement in international contracts. Therefore, parties to international contracts are frequently in need of contract clauses on force majeure. There are many force majeure clauses in standard forms or individually negotiated. The ICC has drawn up provisions which aim at providing assistance for parties when they are making contracts. The force majeure clause grants relief from contractual sanctions and includes provisions for suspension and termination of contract. The purpose of this study is to examine "ICC Force Majeure Clause 2003" in the international sales contract. For this purpose, firstly this study deals with the major contents of the ICC Force Majeure Clause 1985 and 2003. Secondly this study considers the related provisions under CISG, PICC, PECL and the force majeure clause in Model International Sale Contract. Thirdly this study compares ICC Force Majeure Clause 2003 with the relative provisions under CISG, PICC, PECL and the force majeure clause in Model International Sale Contract. It should be noted that the parties often need to adapt the content of this clause so as to take account of the particular circumstances of the individual contract. This paper contributes to help the parties to a contract to draft the meaningful "Force Majeure Clause" containing more precise and elaborate provisions.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.18
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• pp.27-62
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• 2002

The international sale contract is the central contracts in export-import transactions. A good sale contract or set of general conditions of sale will cover all the principal elements of the transaction, so that uncertainties are avoided. The parties' respective duties as concern the payment mechanism, transport contract and insurance responsibilities, inter alia, will all be clearly detailed in the contract. The following key clauses should be included in international contracts of sale and general conditions of sale: ${\bullet}$ preamble ${\bullet}$ identification of parties ${\bullet}$ description of goods ${\bullet}$ price and payment conditions ${\bullet}$ delivery periods and conditions ${\bullet}$ inspection of the goods - obligations and limitations ${\bullet}$ quantity or quality variations in the products delivered ${\bullet}$ reservation of title and passing of property rights ${\bullet}$ transfer of risk - how accomplished ${\bullet}$ seller's warranties and buyer's complaints ${\bullet}$ assignment of rights ${\bullet}$ force majeure clause and hardship clause ${\bullet}$ requirement that amendments and modifications be in writing ${\bullet}$ choice of law ${\bullet}$ choice of dispute resolution mechanism Under most systems of law, a party can be excused from a failure to perform a contract obligation which is caused by the intervention of a totally unforeseeable event, such as the outbreak of war, or an act of God such as an earthquake or hurricane. Under the American commercial code (UCC) the standard for this relief is one of commercial impracticability. In contrast, many civil law jurisdictions apply the term force majeure to this problem. Under CISG, the standard is based on the concept of impediments to performance. Because of the differences between these standards, parties might be well advised to draft their own force majeure, hardship, or excusable delays clause. The ICC publication, "Force Majeure and Hardship" provides a sample force majeure clause which can be incorporated by reference, as well as a hardship clause which must be expressly integrated in the contract. In addition, the ICC Model provides a similar, somewhat more concise formulation of a force majeure clause. When the seller wishes to devise his own excusable delays clause, he will seek to anticipate in its provision such potential difficulties as those related to obtaining government authorisations, changes in customs duties or regulations, drastic fluctuations in labour, materials, energy, or transportation prices, etc.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.69
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• pp.179-199
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• 2016

There is legal relation between both parties after contract formation. The parties are liable for performing each duties but a party is not liable for a failure to perform the duties if party proves that the failure was due to the force majeure. The forec majeure has different concepts and legal principles such as change circumstance, hardship, frustration, impediment and so on. Therefore, it need to analyze a historical background and their presence in various domestic legal systems. Although the CISG describes Art. 79 impediment instead of using the force majeure, the impediment has several interpretative limitation. The CISG pursue to harmonize divergent legal concepts and principles from various national laws and legal systems but the harmonization of legal systems make the impediment more confused. The article goes on to analyzes about limitation of the impediment and reviews to examine the force majeure and hardship in PICC. Thus both parties of international contract insert hardship clause in order to prevent the problem of judgment in a court or a court of arbitration under impediment of CISG.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.167-184
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• 2022

Purpose - This paper analyzes all possible issues that need to be considered in case disputes occur with regard to force majeure in international commercial contracts through the comparative study between English and Korean during COVID-19. Design/methodology - This paper belongs to the field of explanatory legal study, which aims to explain and test whether the choice of law is linked to the conditions that occur in the reality of judicial practice. The juridical approach involves studying and examining theories, concepts, legal doctrines, and legislation that are related to the problem. Findings - English law does not permit general economic impracticability to qualify as a valid force majeure event. If a party asserts that they were prevented from performing the contract, the courts will examine this strictly. Many commercial contracts in a broad range of sectors and industries are chosen by parties to be governed by English law. With COVID-19, there have been discussion of parties being released from performance as a result of force majeure. Meanwhile, under Korean law, a force majeure event should be unforeseeable and beyond a party's control. Since COVID-19 is a known event for future contracts, to avoid the risk that a similar situation in the future is deemed foreseeable and under a party's control, parties must ensure that such a risk is properly addressed in a contract. Therefore, it is necessary to have a new clause to cover a pandemic. Originality/value - In light of the ongoing unexpected and uncertain economic impacts COVID-19 is expected to bring to the world, it is anticipated that companies will experience an increased number of claims involving force majeure around the world, including English and Korea. As such, taking proactive steps to assess the applicable legal principles, including the concept of force majeure of contract, will help companies be prepared for the financial or legal implications of COVID-19. In this regard, it would be advisable for companies and businesses to take specific actions.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.21-33
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• 2020

This study aims to determine if the current COVID-19 event can be admitted as an excuse for non-performance in international trade transactions. In order to do so, this study selected case study method in the analysis. Firstly, the definitions of Force Majeure addressed in CISG, UCC, Chinese Law, and Korean Law were organized. Secondly, this study reviewed the avian influenza event in 2006 and the natural disaster event occurred in Guangdong, China, in 2017. In the study, three critical evaluation factors are suggested in order to be admitted as a Force Majeure event in international transactions as following: 1) possibility of foresight of the event, 2) possibility to overcome and avoid the event, and 3) the enterprise's countermeasures of the event. As an implication, this study organized the definitions of Force Majeure that were indicated in various kinds of Laws and suggested the basic framework to analyze the possibility of admittance as a Force Majeure event.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.44
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• pp.57-84
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• 2009

This Study attempts to compare and analyze on Principle of Change Circumstances under th CISG, PICC and PECL which are covered international commercial contract. In many international commercial contract, time is very important because delays in performance are sanctioned heavily by substantial penalty clauses. When change in circumstances affects contract performance, the contract will often not be suspended or terminated. Therefore, principle of change circumstances is being prepared of fluidity of contract environment and its effect in general. Taking into consideration the problems relating to the renegotiation or adaptation in the cases of radical change of circumstances where the CISG applies, it is suggested that the contracting parties should make clear their intentions, that is, whether they will provide for the possibility of renegotiation where the price of goods has been altered by inserting a hardship clause or for the possibility of mutual discharge from liability in the cases of economic impossibility or hardship by inserting a force majeure clause. Such provision will be desirable especially in situations where there is a long term contract, the price of goods sold tends to fluctuate in the international commerce, or where especially in contracts subjected to arbitration, the parties subject their contract to legal sources or principles of supranational character. Therefore, this study has shown that the hardship provisions in the CISG, PICC and PECL has similarities to each a validity defense and an excuse defense. it was provisions that CISG governs this issue in Article 79, PICC Article 6.2.1, 6.2.2, 6.2.3 and PECL Article 6.111.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.37-62
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• 2016

Two controversial issues exist in interpretation of "Force Majeure" set forth in the Article 931 (4) of the Korean Commercial Code. Firstly, its scope of application is ambiguous. Secondly, there is a concern that the "immunity" under paragraph 1 and "Force Majeure" may overlap each other. "Force Majeure" refers an event resulted from either natural disaster or 3rd-party. Meanwhile, the latter implies relatively extensive and comprehensive meaning and its interpretation may vary depends on law enforcement. In general, the aircraft accident hardly results in damage or loss to the 3rd-party. Additionally, it is worth to review newly enacted clause and to define its applicability. When the 3rd party is suffered from damage or loss incurred by any external act, it is necessary to explicit the concept of the non-contractual liabilities with respect to 3rd party. From the perspective of protecting aviation industries, the commercial aviation operator may be entitled to immunity in respect of claim for damage incurred by the event of Force Majeure. However, this approach is directly opposite to the victim's benefit and protection by the law. Therefore, the priority of the legal protection should be considered. Although the interest of the commercial aviation operator is not negligible, the protection of the law should be favorable to the 3rd party. Otherwise, the innocent party has no right to claim for damage incurred by aviation accident. Another issue is about the possibility of overlapping of the provision set forth in the paragraph 1 and 4. The former states that the liabilities shall be exempted on account of either the unsettled political or economic situation but this clause is inconsistent with the interpretation on Force Majeure under the latter. As argued above, this may include any event resulted from either political or economic account by the external influence of the 3rd party, thus these two provisions are overlapped. Consequently, in order to develop ordinances and guidelines and to ensure an equal protection to both parties, above two issues must remain open for further discussions.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.269-291
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• 1998

Change of circumstances subsequent to formation of international business contract raises two issues on both parties' obligation to perform business transaction concerned. One is impossibility of performance due to events beyond control of parties and the other is adaption of contract. In Anglo-American Law such an impossibility of performance is provided by the doctrine of Frustration and the doctrine of Practicability(UCC 2-615). In practice a "force majeure" clause should be included in contract defining the parties' mutual rights and duties if certain events beyond their control occur to safeguard themselves against possible impossibility. On the other hand the tendency of international trade is that alongside sales contracts, there are contract for supplies, for furnishing raw materials, for building industrial complexes, and transferring technology. One characteristic of these agreements is their duration. For in order to carry out these agreements, it is necessary to complete a series of closely interrelated operations which, in the normal course of events, take place over a number of years. It is often difficult for the parties, when finalizing their contract, to have a full grasp of all of the factors governing their relations. With a view to resolving difficulties such as compromise the continuous performance of a contract, parties may insert a regulatory clause in their contract providing for intervention by a third person after stating in specific and detailed fashion the circumstances in which their contract may be adapted.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.58
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• pp.313-328
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• 2013

Today FTA extends over the world and Korea as a main member of international trade is no exception. In the past Korea, as the developing countries, has made endlessly effort to induce foreign investment from foreign enterprise and/or government to be a truly OECD countries today and made it. Korea's trade economy was reached 1 trillion dollars in 2012. Now we have to find a new way to produce, process, procure goods from foreign investment and also need to protect our profit and/or rights within foreign judicial territory. There are two method to protect foreign enterprise or government. First they rely on general principles in WTO or Bilateral Investment Treaty that the principle of equality, national treatment, and most-favored-nation treatment, you can create a predictable environment to protect foreign enterprise and/or government. Second they need to incorporate contractual clauses in their agreement such as stabilization clause, force majeure, arbitration, governing law or sovereign immunity. Of course there are many things left behind to consider I hope it will be helpful to those who prepare foreign investment contract.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.243-257
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• 2006

This study is to introduce the Chinese Contract Law against non-performance of the contract and to solve the wide range of problems involving to executing the trading contract. The parties' liability for the period of performance, the place of performance, the failure to deliver conforming goods together with it's nature of the lack of conformity, and the methods of compensation against damages and the force majeure clauses application. Those issues affect directly to commercial transactions in international business. The focus is more on the interrelationship of private individuals in its trade and on aiming to remove the legal obstacles from the Chinese Contract Law to freely flow of international trade. Reference may include foreign corrupt practices, Conventions on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and Laws of England, France, and Japan. This study has brought the efforts of these issues in the full spectrum of performance and with concentrations on effectiveness to avoid the different viewpoints of the general principles of CISG and commercial practice founded pre-eminently. This study, in presenting the legal framework, will contribute to a better understanding of the purpose of rules of Chinese Contract -Law as they interact to the benefit of the parties involved in international trade transactions. The writer believes that a problem-oriented approach and the concentration as outlined above would offer a different perspective for law faculty teaching in this area and hope that this study can be sufficiently diverse to satisfy many of those views.