• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.39-57
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• 2002

전자신용장통일규칙에 대한 그 동안의 논의는 주로 UCP500과는 별도로 새로운 통일규칙을 제정하여야 한다는 논의와 기존의 UCP500내에서 전자서류에 대한 내용을 새로이 추가하여야 한다는 논의였다. 그러나 궁극적으로 UCP500의 경우 종이서류를 근거로 하여 내용을 규정하고 있기 때문에 전자신용장거래에서의 전자제시에 대하여 적용할 수 없었다. 이러한 점에서 UCP500에서는 전자무역거래에서 사용되고 있는 기본 개념조차도 수용되어 있지 않고 있는데 예를 들면, 전자서명, 전자서류 또는 전자기록에 대한 내용이다. UCP가 안고 있는 이러한 문제의 소지를 사전에 해결하기 위하여 ICC에서 eUCP를 제정하였다는 점에서 큰 의의가 있다고 할 수 있다. 이와 같이 본 연구는 eUCP의 도입배경을 선화증권의 위기문제와 연관시켜 조명하고 eUCP의 주요내용을 살펴보고 이를 UCP500의 규정과 비교하여 봄으로써 UCP500과 유기적으로 사용될 eUCP의 이해를 제고하여 향후 발생될 당사자의 분쟁을 사전에 방지하고자 하는 것이 그 목적이다.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.20
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• pp.295-315
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• 2003

Since the end of World War II, the standby letters of credit have been used as a surety device, serving as a performance bond and guarantee in the world. UCP has been used a governing rule for standby letters of credit transactions in international commercial transactions. But the UCP may be sufficient for certain simple standbys, it is not fully applicable nor appropriate for standbys - as is recognized in UCP 500 Article 1. On the other hand, the International Standby Practices(ISP98) provide rules of practice drafted specifically for standby letters of credit intended as an alternative to UCP 500. It became effective on January 1, 1999. In addition to restating general rules applicable to all independent undertakings with greater precision than does UCP 500, thereby reducing the possibility of litigation, it addresses issues that commonly arise in standby practice not addressed in UCP 500. UCP 500 is valid and still applies to standby letter of credit "to the extent to which they may be applicable." Since ISP98 and UCP 500 coexist and may be applicable to standby letters of credit by incorporation, applicants, beneficiaries and issuers have a choice. This study will assist all interested parties in establishing the right rules for the right product, for the right standby letters of credit.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.33
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• pp.63-89
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• 2007

The UCP is an authoritative compilation of the customs and practice of letters of credit observed by most of the participants in the transaction. It remains the most successful set of private rules for trade ever developed. First issued in 1933, the UCP has been through five revisions, the latest being the present UCP 500, which came into force in 1994. Since 1994, new developments in transport, insurance, electronic commerce and banking industry have spurred the current revision of the rules. The ICC Banking Commission approved UCP 600 on October 25, 2006 by a unanimous vote of 91 to 0. The revision, which will come into effect on July 1, 2007, incorporates a number of changes from UCP 500 as follows : UCP 600 has a leaner set of rules, with 39 articles rather than 49 articles of UCP 500; New sections on "definitions" and "interpretations" have been added to clarify the meaning of ambiguous terms; The phrase "reasonable time" for acceptance or refusal of documents has been replaced by a firm period of five banking days; UCP 600 allows for the discounting of deferred payment credits. However, UCP 600 has two main problems such as the inconsistency with insurance industry and the banking community-oriented rules. We have some months before the commencement of UCP 600. From today to the commencement of UCP 600, we should study the full contents of UCP 600 and the influences on the trade industry.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.287-309
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• 2009

There were many changes regarding Negotiation of document under UCP 600. First of all, the definition of Negotiation was changed. The UCP 500 stated "Negotiation means the giving of value for drafts and documents by the bank authorized to negotiation", but the UCP 600 defines "negotiation" as following "negotiation means the purchase by the nominated bank of drafts and/or documents under a complying presentation". Under the UCP 600 the meaning of negotiation was more clear than UCP 500. Second UCP 600 permits all deferred payment credits be discountable or negotiable. This amended rule equated the deferred payment credit with banker's acceptance credit which was contrary with the nature and the practice of former deferred payment credit transaction. Third, UCP 600 has also provided for reimbursement rights for nominated banks and a conceptual basis for protecting nominated banks against beneficiary fraud. In this paper, the problems regarding negotiation of document under UCP600 was studied and the solutions for the problems occurring in appling UCP 600 in practical field was provided.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.22
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• pp.173-197
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• 2004

Letter of Credit between buyer and seller in International Trade Transaction is the means of payment which makes International Trade operate smoothly by guaranteeing an exporter against non-payment and an importer against non-delivery. Therefore, the parties to a sale apply UCP500 established by the International Chamber of Commerce, in accordance with principle of the freedom of contract among the parties concerned, to look to their own legal stability. However, we may recognize some cases to have been applied principle of faith and trust, one of the dominant principles of the civil law, by the Korean Supreme Court and other cases to have not been applied that principle by the Korean Supreme Court. The Court shall apply UCP500 strictly as long as the parties concerned adopt UCP500 in view of the legal stability. In other words, in case that the Court applies principle of faith and trust to the case related to L/C, this rule - principle of faith and trust - should apply to the subject matter which have not stipulated in UCP500 under certain restriction. We suggest keeping in mind points to korean companies as follows; First, the parties to a sale shall understand L/C basis transaction and principles related to L/C deeply. Second, the exporter shall prepare documents in compliance with L/C and fulfil his or her obligation according to UCP500 and L/C related to the contract. Third, as buyer or importer, when he or she receive the shipping documents with discrepancies from the notifying bank, he or she makes him or herself clear to all the parties concerned. Fourth, as bank, she shall examine all the documents according to UCP500 and L/C related to the contract, and if any document with discrepancies, the bank, by all means, shall approach applicant first, and then decide whether to pay the credit amount to beneficiary or not to.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.12
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• pp.429-460
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• 1999

The letter of credit is quintessentially international. In the absence of international legal system, a private system based on banking practices has evolved, commanding the adherence of the international letter of credit community and providing the foundation of th reputation of this instrument. To maintain this international system, it is vital that international standard banking practice should not be subject to local interpretations that misconstrue or distort it. The UCP is a formulation of international standard banking practice. It is neither positive law nor a "contract term" in any traditional sense and its interpretation must be consonant with its character as a living repositary of international understanding in this field. As a result, the interpretation and application of specific articles of the UCP must be consistent with its evolving character and history and with the principles upon which sound letter of credit practice is predicated. This study, especially, focuses on article 13 and article 14 of the UCP500. Article 13(b) of UCP500 stipulates that banks will have a reasonable time, not to exceed seven days, to examine documents to determine whether they comply facially with the terms of the credit. The seven-day provision is not designed as a safe harbor, because the rule requires the issuer to act within a reasonable time. But, by virtue of the deletion of the preclusion rule in the document examination article in UCP500, however, seven days may evolve as something of a safe harbor, especially for banks that engage in strategic behavior. True, under UCP500 banks are supposed to examine documents within a reasonable time, but there are no consequences in UCP500 for a bank's violation of that duty. It is only in the next provision. Courts might read the preclusion more broadly than the literal reading mentioned here or might fashion a common-law preclusion rule that does not require a showing of detriment. Absent that kind of development, the change in the preclusion rule could have adverse effects on the beneficiary. The penalty, strict estoppel or strict preclusion, under UCP500 and 95UCC differs from the classic estoppel. The classic estoppel rule requires a beneficiary to show three elements. 1. conduct on the part of the issuer that leads the beneficiary to believe that nonconforming documents do conform; 2. reasonable reliance by the beneficiary; and 3. detriment from that reliance. But stict preclusion rule needs not detrimental reliance. This strict estoppel rule is quite strict, and some see it as a fitting pro-beneficiary rule to counterbalance the usually pro-issuer rule of strict compliance.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.119-139
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• 2012

In the case of Banque Paribas V. Banco Santander in England for the reimbursement request of deferred payment credit by the nominated bank, the L/C-issuing bank refused to pay the proceeds at maturity because of a fraudulent transaction. The reason of refusal was that the nominated bank, Banco Santander, had no right of payment in deferred credit before its maturity if it made payment of proceeds without notice to the issuing bank, that is, payment not based upon a credit transaction but on its own account. However, in the case of ADIB V. Fortis Bank in America, the New York court made the decision that the deferred payment bank could not refuse to reimburse to the nominated bank, Fortis Bank, because of fraud. Its decision was based on the UCP600. We have analyzed and investigated the above two cases-one was an English court's decision and the other an American's. The English court's decision was made under UCP500, but the American court's was made under UCP600, which was revised in 2007. As a result, we can expect that from now on in deferred payment credit transactions, the power of the nominated bank will be greater than before, but the issuing bank will bear the risk of the beneficiary's fraud, so the issuing bank will be hesitant to issue deferred payment credit. Notwithstanding, we thought that the New York court decision would come into effect in the activation of deferred payment credit in practical trade transactions.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.22
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• pp.107-135
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• 2004

The International Standard Banking Practice for the Examination of Documents under Documentary Letters of Credit (ISBP) is the product by the ICC Banking Commission, October 2002. The ISBP is a practical complement to UCP 500, ICC's universally used rules on documentary credits. It explains, in explicit detail, how the rules are to be applied on a day-to-day basis. It fills a needed gap between the general principles announced in the rules and the daily work of the documentary credit practitioner. By using the ISBP, document checkers can bring their practices in line with those followed by their colleagues worldwide. The result should be a significant reduction in the number of documents refused for discrepancies on first presentation. We are convinced that the benefits of the ISBP will not only be of high importance for users of UCP 500, but also that the practices in the ISBP will survive a UCP revision, or will even be included in the next version of the rule (so call "UCP 600"). Though the above-mentioned benefits of the ISBP, there are several troublesome topics that will probably have to wait for a new UCP revision. It will be a challenge for the drafters of a future UCP to find solutions that will further clarify these points.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.38
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• pp.123-152
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• 2008

It is a basic rule in the credit law that original documents are required unless otherwise stipulated by the credit. Due to modern technology enabling documents to be produced in many ways it may not always to decide whether a document is original or a photocopy. In consideration of modern technology and the advent of new methods of document production, ICC has drawn up the provisions on original documents in Article 22 (b) of UCP 400 for the first time. The equivalent provision in UCP 500 is Article 20 (b). As a result of many queries to ICC Banking Commission on what constitutes an "original" documents under UCP 500 and several court cases in connection with original documents, the ICC Banking Commission has issued Decision on original documents in July 1999. Based on this Decision, the ICC dealt it in Article 17 under UCP 600 which came into force on July 1, 2007. There are some changes, replacements and new provisions of UCP 600 concerning original documents and copies. Importers, exporters, insurance companies, other third parties and, above all, banks should pay attention to some changes and implications of UCP 600 concerning original documents and copies. The purpose of this paper is to examine the provisions on original documents and copies under UCP 600. For this purpose, firstly this study deals with the relative provisions on original documents and copies under pre-UCP 600. Secondly this study considers the provisions on original documents and copies under UCP 600. Thirdly this study compares the provisions under pre-UCP 600 with the provisions under UCP 600. Finally this study analyzes the cases decided both home and abroad in connection with original documents. This paper contribute to help the parties to letters of credit to understand the provisions on original documents and copies under UCP 600.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.18
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• pp.105-134
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• 2002

In the Spring of 2000, the Banking Commission of the ICC decided to appoint a working group to draft a supplement to the UCP 500 to clarify the position regarding electronic presentation under a documentary credit. Provisions was drafted to supplement its existing rules for documentary credit, that is, UCP 500. These new provisions known as Supplement to UCP 500 for Electronic Presentation was approved by the ICC Banking Commission at the beginning of November 2001 and came in force as of 1 April 2002 The eUCP covers matters such as definitions of key terms such as electronic record, electronic signature, format, paper document, received. An eUCP Credit must specify the formats in which electronic records are to be presented and if not, electronic records may be presented in any format. Electronic records may be presented separately and need not be presented at the same time. The purpose of this paper is to understand the main substance of eUCP and to facilitate the introduction of electronic letter of credit by studying the problems and revision of eUCP and new electronic UCP. The main substances of eUCP are electronic address as place for presentation of electronic records, flexibility of the formats of electronic records to be presented, endowment of the notice of completeness of presentation to the beneficiary, one electronic record satisfying one or more originals or copies of an electronic record, the electronic records to be examined including the electronic record at the hyperlink to an external system or the referenced system, no remark as to the time period for the examination of documents. The Roles of eUCP are the Promotion of the Electronic Trade, the Supply of Basis on the Uniform Rules for Electronic Letter of Credit, the introduction of Electronic Trade Model. The characteristics of eUCP are a supplement to the UCP, no address of any issues relating to the issuance or advice of Credit electronically, independence of specific technologies and developing electronic commerce system, that is, Bolero Service. The Problems of eUCP are flexibility of format of electronic record, heavy burden on the side of banks, and the problems regrading the number of presentation, the notice of completeness of presentation, no provision in regard to the time to examine the electronic records, and representation of the electronic records. In the revision of eUCP to resolve the problems, the things to be taken into consideration are as follows; the designation of the format allowing the banks to examine electronically, prohibition of the paper documents, the development of the system receiving the electronic records, the addition of the reception notice on the side of the banks, the setting of the time to examine the electronic records, the construction of the backup system or the dual processing system.