• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.41
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• pp.79-102
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• 2009

L/C transaction, the most important issue for the seller and the buyer is the theory of documentary transaction and the theory of strict compliance which are the principles of L/C transactions. According to the leading cases in England and America where the practice of L/C transactions was created and developed, the descriptions of the commodities specified on all the documents which are submitted based on an L/C, should be identical to the descriptions of commodities specified in the L/C. And further, many leading cases of L/C continuously repeat to emphasize strict compliance. However, the recent leading cases in and out of the country show that the principle of strict compliance is being weakened. The leading cases in America show two trends of weakening the principle of strict compliance. That is, on the contrary to strict compliance, tends to apply substantial compliance (which puts more value on the substance of the documents). These leading cases reflect the attitudes of the judicial and the legislative authorization that don't want to approve formal approach to the commercial law. Recently, the Supreme Court of Korea is giving a decision on the principle of strict compliance, "The documents attached to an L/C should strictly comply with the conditions in the L/C, but it doesn't mean that they should be perfectly identical without any mistake in words. In case the bank can understand through reasonable care that a small mistake in words is too trivial to give different meaning or to give damage to the conditions of the L/C, the documents are regarded to comply with the conditions of the L/C. However, the judgment should be based on whether the difference between the documents and the L/C can be admitted by the international standard bank transaction practice or not." This decision tells that the principle of strict compliance is quite much modified so application of this modification can't be ignored. However, from the viewpoint of the party who requests to open an L/C, there is a criticism that a bank's arbitrary judgement can be involved. Therefore, reviewing the original purpose of L/C transactions (activating international transactions), the principle of strict compliance may be thought old-fashioned because it emphasizes a form, but in reality, for prompt transaction and payment, the principle of strict compliance should be observed in L/C transactions. And further, if a legislative device is prepared to systematically compensate for several side-effects, the principle of strict compliance will improve dynamic flow of prompt and low-costly L/C transactions. On the other hand, it will be able to protect the interested parties.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.49
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• pp.139-164
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• 2011

Traditionally courts have been adopted over the years two standards of dealing with compliance of documents such as strict compliance and substantial compliance and the substantial compliance, which was somewhat less demanding than the strict compliance. However the new guidelines of ICC's international standard banking practice for the examination of documents under documentary credits set up how the UCP is to be applied in practice. The payment obligations of an issuing bank to a beneficiary are independence of the performance or the nonperformance of any contract underlying the letter of credit. However, strictly applying the principle of independence and abstraction could produce unfair results by operating unjustly enrich an unscrupulous beneficiary in case of fraud. Accordingly, when a beneficiary presents complying documents, the issuing bank is bound to honour the presentation unless the fraud rule applies on the facts of the case such as forged or material fraud. If it does, the issuing bank(issuer) needs not pay despite the complying presentation of documents by the beneficiary under the Uniform Commercial Code Article 5-109 and case law in America. However the fraud rule was not addressed in UCP 600. In conclusion, view in terms of legal principle and the court cases is variable and difficult to honour or dishonour the presentation in case of application of the independence principle and fraud rule such as the problems on burden of proof timely, possibility of granting injunction in order to protect against victim for bona fide applicant.

• 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 Commerce and Information Review
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.239-261
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• 2008

Documentary credit transactions are judged by the principle of strict compliance. The compliance of the tendered documents with the credit's teams ensures the proper completion of the underlying transaction. But if the documents tendered by beneficiary differ, a discrepancy of documents occurs. Such a discrepancy raises difficult problems for the bank to which the documents are tendered. It has to decide whether to reject or accept them or to accept them under a protective mechanism. Therefore, this study is to examine the case study of complying presentation of the description of the goods in documentary credit through the Korean Supreme Court Cases. The objectives of this paper are as follow : 1. To examine two point of views on document compliance such as strict compliance and substantial compliance. 2. To analyze Korean Case Law which challenges the legal conclusions, standard for examination of documents and New ISBP. 3. To draw out the criterion for conformity and discrepancy of description in invoices and WC and to provide the guidelines for determining the nature and extent of an issuing bank's duty of documentary compliance. 4. Finally to suggest some implications through the Korean case law. By using the examination standards for description of goods suggested in Korean Case Law and New ISBP, the traders will be able to prepare documentation more perfectly and document checkers will be able to examine the negotiation documents more easily.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.36
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• pp.29-46
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• 2007

The fraud exception rule allows for the issuing bank to dishonor the claim if it the documents and transactions bear fraud though the documents presented are complied with the terms and conditions of the letter of credit. A question arises whether the fraud exception rule can apply to innocent beneficiary when fraud is made by 3rd party. United City Merchants v. Royal Bank of Canada showed a good example how to handle in case of innocent beneficiary. At this case House of Lord found that innocent beneficiary deserves payment applying nullity exception rule. I believe that the nullity exception rule is employed for the benefit of innocent beneficiary as far as the issuer and applicant get no actual damage by the 3rd party's fraudulent action which is shown on documents.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.323-352
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• 1998

Documentary letters of credit including standby letters of credit are governed by the independence or abstraction rule and the doctrine of strict compliance. Since the former rule requires the issuing bank to honor the drafts regardless of the defective performance of the underlying contract, the applicant(the customer) will be without a remedy if he is unable to make himself whole by litigation on the underlying contract. Therefore, the applicant is exposed to a risk much higher than in the commercial letters of credit. The Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credit(UCP) has no provisions allowing legal relief for the applicant on the abuse of L/C by unscrupulous beneficiary, but UCC ${\S}5-114$ has provision allowing injunctive relief for the applicant. In this paper, I attempted to clarify certain standards of injunctive relief available for the customer in the credit. When there is fraud in the L/C transaction by any of the parties concerned, we must weigh the principle of independence or abstraction and the fraud rules. According to banking practice and judicial precedence, we need not keep the principle of independence and abstaction even in fraudulent transaction and the bona fide sufferer must be protected. The purpose of this paper is to review the studies of Fraud rule and the Injunction and to suggest the applicable standards for the Injunction therory under letters of credit. Specially this paper analysed the following ; (1) the guideline for the fraud (exception) rule to the autonomy principle, (2) the appilcable standards of the Injunction, and (3) the implications on parties concerned in letters of credit transaction. Conclusively, the Injunction should be granted if (1) there is clear proof of fraud (2) the fraud constitutes fraudulent abuse if the independent purpose of L/C (3) irreparble injury might follow if injunction is not granted or the recovery of damages would be seriously endangered.