• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.4
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• pp.417-425
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• 2009

This study analyzed core issues addressed in the tentative agreement of WTO ministerial meetings held to finish WTO/DDA negotiations in Geneva in July 2008. The objectives of this study are to analyze changes in tariff reduction on timber products, and their influence on demand and supply of the items according to the modality of Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) and to provide basic information for strategy formulation of our country for further WTO/DDA negotiations. The results indicate that there will not be significant changes in the tariff on sawnwood and on veneer sheets, however, the tariff on plywood need to be cut by around 50% from the applicable tariff rates of 2008 on condition that our country is in the position of developed countries. Therefore, the item of plywood is expected to be influenced greatly according to the change in tariff reduction. From the analysis of influence of tariff reduction on the demand and supply of timber products including sawnwood and wood based panels, such as plywood, particleboard, and fiberboard, the import quantities of the items are expected to be changed from 0.8% to 13.3% if our country is in the position of developed countries, however, they are expected to decline by 0.8%~44.3%, if our country is in the position of developing countries (22, coefficient for developing members).

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.97 no.4
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• pp.408-416
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• 2008

This study was analyzed the changes of the tariff reduction for the timber products according to the modalities proposed by the chairman of Non-agriculture Market Access. The resulted data would be expected to be used for establishing the strategies for the WTO/DDA negotiation of Korea. As WTO/DDA negotiation was officially resumed in the early 2007. It was necessarily required to develop a strategy how to address debating core issues raised during the negotiation since 2006. For this purpose, major core issues and agenda were arranged and analyzed in this study. In Korea, the results of the analysis show that, in the position of developed members, the applicable tariff rates after the tariff reduction of sawnwood and veneer sheet was not different from that in 2007. However, in the position of developing members, the applicable tariff rate of sawnwood and veneer sheet was increased after the tariff reduction. The unbound tariff lines, wood-based panels such as plywood and medium-density fiberboard, the applicable tariff rate after the tariff reduction was analyzed to be reduced more than 50% in the position of developed members, and therefore is determined to be considerable influenced upon the applicable tariff rates. On the other hand, in the position of developing country the tariff rates after the tariff reduction was higher than that of the applicable tariff rates in 2007. Thus no changes of the tariff reduction by a negotiation agreement was analyzed to be happened.