• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.113-130
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• 2020

Purpose - This paper examines the legal standards for the interpretation of contract terms in the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (PICC) and the cases thereunder in order to provide academic implication to promoting an appropriate understanding of this topic in practical business. Design/methodology - This article uses the literature research and case study under the PICC. Findings - the contract terms shall be interpreted according to the common intention of the parties. If such an intention cannot be established, the contract shall be interpreted according to the meaning that reasonable persons of the same kind as the parties would give to it in the same circumstances. The statements and other conduct of a party shall be interpreted according to that party's intention if the other party knew or could not have been unaware of that intention. If not, the reasonable person standard will apply. In applying above articles, all relevant circumstances including the conduct of the parties, practices and usages shall be considered. Terms and expressions shall be interpreted in the light of the whole contract or statement in which they appear and contract terms shall be interpreted so as to give effect to all the terms rather than to deprive some of them of effect. Where contract terms supplied by one party are unclear, contra proferentem rule applies. Where there is discrepancy between several equally authoritative versions of a contract, a preference is given to the interpretation according to the version originally drawn up. Where the parties to a contract have not agreed regarding an important term for their rights and duties, a term which is appropriate in the circumstances shall be supplied. Originality/value - This article examines various cases regarding the topic that were determined under the PICC. By finding legal standards and rulings of relevant cases, this article will help readers in practical business to enhance the ability to apply the provisions to their contracts.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.279-301
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• 2020

In the absence of any guidance under statutory law, such as the Rules for Construction of Policy, MIA 1906, judges should follow the general principles of interpretation that apply to all contracts. In simple terms, Contra Proferentem Rule means that if the contents of the terms and conditions are ambiguous, they are interpreted against the writer of the terms and conditions. In the Anglo-American Contract Law, the 'default rule' is an important judicial tool that can supplement defects in contract norms and reinforce the principle of private autonomy through gap-filling techniques related to the interpretation of contracts. In Korea, it is sometimes mentioned in case of precedent, and it has been established as a clear rule. This study analyzes the interpretation of terms and conditions is not in the form that the interpretation of other general contracts and other interpretation principles are valid, but contracts based on terms and conditions are also contracts, and as a general rule, the interpretation of terms and conditions is explained like the general contract interpretation.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.43
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• pp.75-97
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• 2009

Article 35 of the CISG defines standards for determining whether goods delivered by the seller conform to the contract in terms of type, quantity, quality, and packaging. When we apply these article 35(1), (2) of the CISG to the business connection, we will face several issues in the business connection. Fist, we will face the interpretation of contracts. When we interpret the contract, we must remember the article 8 of the CISG. Statements made by and other conduct of a party are to be interpreted according to the intent of parties. Therefore parties of contract must describe their intent correctly. Second, we must make out a contract in written about the promised contents. And it is needed to insert a merger clause in order to prevent part of contract from disagreeing with each other. Third, there are several interpretation of fitness for the purpose for which the goods would ordinarily be used. So it is important to describe the quality standard to be applied. If it does not describe the standard, it is helpful to apply the reasonable quality test. Fourth, there may be some doubt regarding the question of whose standard-that of the seller's or that of the buyer's state-is relevant in order to determine which characteristics the goods must have in order to be fit for their ordinary purpose. Ultimately, the question of the relevant standard is a matter of the interpretation of the contract.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.75
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• pp.49-69
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• 2017

Making a international contract of sale is not a simple work. International Trade parties(seller and buyer) may choose trade terms such as FOB or CIF to simplify their contracts and avoid misunderstanding of international commercial practice. Incoterms is the international rules for the interpretation of the trade terms, and firstly regulated by the ICC in 1936. The latest version is Incoterms 2010. Incoterms 2010 governs certain responsibilities between the seller and the buyer under the international contract of sale. Moreover, Incoterms 2010 provides the standard of division of costs relating to contract of carriage. But we should note that Incoterms 2010 is not the part of contract of carriage. The writer points out that there is no consistence principle in distributing the special costs under the contract of carriage like unloading cost from the transport vehicle. To avoid the dispute between the parties, it is more safe for international traders to fully and completely understand on the customs and practice of carriage of goods. Incoterms 2010 provides more detailed method of delivery of goods than CISG and RAFTD. Concerning the method of delivery of goods, CISG and RAFTD simply provide that the seller shall place the goods at the discharge of buyers. The writer suggests the basic principles to allocate the special costs of delivery of goods according to the trade terms under Incoterms 2010.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.57
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• pp.3-34
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• 2013

In the international sales contract, long-term contracts often face hardship in fulfilling the original contract terms by relevant parties due to rapid change and uncertainty of political and economic circumstance. In this case, party who faces hardship of fulfillment terminates contract or demands adaptation to contract condition but if opponent doesn't accept this, it proceeds to commercial dispute needing legal interpretation. Generally it is wise to set forth governing law in contract between parties in the case of international contract, for legal stability. One of universal governing law which relevant parties select by agreement to solve economical hardship of fulfillment is PICC. PICC defines the hardship in detail for renegotiation on following hardship of fulfillment unexpected. In the case of failing renegotiation, Court(arbitral tribunal) conducts termination to contract or adaptation to contract condition through arbitration or mediation. In conclusion, when signing international long-term contract, it is desirous to handle dispute effectively by inserting provisions which can deal with economical hardship in contract or defining PICC as governing law in the case of hardship incurred. It is because it is realistic to handle dispute smoothly to the extent that both parties can be satisfied in the case of hardship incurred, though international contract should be fulfilled.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.103-110
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• 2009

A construction project consists of a variety of contracts for the completion of work. The large number of contracts involved in a single project increases the likelihood that disputes will arise between the parties involved regarding the terms of service. Actually, there are many disputes that are caused by a change 0 order. While such disputes should be settled by interpreting the terms stipulated in the agreement entered between the two parties, the process of dispute settlement is often restricted to arbitration and lawsuit, and as a result the parties tend to avoid it due to its inefficiency. For this reason, in Korea it is hard to find cases of interpreting terms of service, while in the U.S. it is easy to find diverse cases of interpreting terms of service, since there is a process of dispute settlement by each stage by the party who has placed an order. Therefore, this study presents analysis of case studies of contract changes, looking specifically at changes in the scope of the work, changes in quantity, changes in the period of implementation, changes in the method of implementation or attitude, changes in items provided by the government or the delivery place, and the acceptance of such change procedure by a contractor, and the adjustment of a reduction.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.13
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• pp.43-68
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• 2000

Incoterms mean the ICC official rules for the interpretation of trade terms which facilitate the conduct of international trade. Thus, the uncertainties of different interpretations of such terms in different countries can be avoided or at least reduced to a considerable degree. Nevertheless, Incoterms has been revised successively to adapt them to contemporary commercial practice. In particularly, substantive changes in Incoterms 2000 have been made in two areas: (i) the customs clearance under FAS and DEQ; and (ii) the loading and unloading obligations under FCA. But it should be stressed that the scope of Incoterms is limited to the contract of sale and not apply to the contracts of carriage, insurance and financing. Moreover, merchants wishing to use Incoterms 2000 should clearly specify that their contract is governed by 'Incoterms 2000'. It is particularly important to note that Incoterms are not dealt with a great number of problems, such as transfer of property rights, breaches of contract and exemptions from liability. Therefore, the contracting parties should clearly agree to the applicable law related their contract of sale, like the 1980 United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.50
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• pp.27-59
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• 2011

This article attempts to describe and analyze the rules on the service provider's duty to provide his service in conformity with the contract under the Draft Common Frame of Reference (here-in-after DCFR), which are applied to construction, storage, design and factual information contracts. It categorizes such rules in accordance with the requirements of conformity with the contract, the time when the service provided must be in conformity with the contract, and the exemptions of the service provider's duty. On the basis of such categorization, it examines the rules on the service provider's duty in each type of service contract under the DCFR. By doing so, it seeks to figure out how the members of EU compromised on the various issues of the service provider's duty under the DCFR which is regarded as the first uniformed legislation in the area of the service contract. This may provide some guidance to the legislators of domestic law for their amendment or interpretation of their laws. In addition to them, this article also seeks to point out problems in terms of their interpretations and gaps in their rules to cover various aspects of non-conformity and put forward some solutions for such problems and gaps.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.51
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• pp.187-210
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• 2011

International transactions have the threat of non-payment by the buyer or non-performance by the seller. Parties tend to search for additional means of securing performance and payment beyond the mere agreement in the contract. Such security may be achieved by means of a letter of credit. When contracting parties have agreed to pay by means of a letter of credit, the buyer's bank takes upon itself the obligation to pay the purchase price when the seller tenders the documents that are stipulated in the letter of credit. The documents must comply strictly with the terms of the credit.. The documents play a crucial role in letter of credit transaction. The principles of abstraction, separability and strict compliance governing the letter of credit transaction are considered. The concept of fundamental breach of Article 25 CISG was discussed. This article examines whether a failure to deliver documents conforming to the terms of the letter of credit can constitute a fundamental breach of the sales contract as defined by Article 25 of the CISG by the seller and thereby enable the buyer to avoid the contract. For letter of credit transactions it should be accepted that the delivery of non-performing documents constitutes a fundamental breach, if the result of this breach is that the bank refuses to pay the price for the goods. On the other hand, in the interpretation of Article 25 CISG, it should be noted that if the parties have agreed to payment by means of a letter of credit, they have simultaneously agreed to apply the strict compliance principle to the delivery of documents in the sales contract. Finally the parties should ensure that inconsistency between the requirements under the documentary credit and the requirements under the contract of sale is avoided, since the buyer may be in breach of his payment obligation if the seller cannot get paid under the documentary credit when his documents conform with the contract of sale.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2007.03a
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• pp.830-836
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• 2007

This paper is concerned with identifying the importance of the pre-qualification factors used in selecting contractors and also in determining the importance of various criteria used for the award of contract. The study was carried out through questionnaire survey administered to a population of 60 respondents in consultancy and client's organisation. The data analysis included a statistical comparison of means and interpretation. The result of this study showed that experience of the contractor is the most important prequalification factor while technical expertise is the most important criteria in the award of contract. The result of this study will enable clients, consultants and contractors to lay emphasis on the influencing factors in terms of pre-qualification and award of contract.