Ministry of Trade and KOTRA Step Up Support to Ease Trade Barrier Challenges

"Public-Private Joint Briefing Session" Held in Busan
From Tariff Trends to Response Case Studies Introduced

Amid the intensifying wave of global trade order restructuring and protectionism, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and related authorities held an on-site briefing session to support local export companies in responding to trade barriers.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), in collaboration with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other private sector organizations, hosted the "On-site Trade Barrier Response Briefing Session" at the Busan International Port Exhibition & Convention Center on November 20. Since February this year, the Ministry and KOTRA have held more than 70 sessions, including "Briefings on Changes in Trade Order" and "Customs Response Briefings." These sessions were organized to provide Korean companies with practical guidance on responding to overseas trade barrier trends, as major countries-including but not limited to the United States-are raising both tariff and non-tariff barriers.

Exterior view of KOTRA headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul. KOTRA

The Korea International Trade Association presented the current status of import restriction measures such as anti-dumping and safeguard actions against Korea by major countries, as well as the strengthening of import restrictions by the United States, the European Union, India, and others. In particular, it highlighted the spread of import restrictions in response to the oversupply of Chinese goods-displaced from the U.S. market due to high tariffs-into other markets.

Additionally, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry introduced support programs to help small and medium-sized enterprises respond to import restrictions, and legal and accounting experts shared trends in U.S. item-specific tariff measures and examples of how companies have responded. A dedicated U.S. customs response booth was also set up to provide one-on-one customized consulting for interested companies.

KOTRA, which organized the briefing, shared recent cases of new non-tariff barriers introduced by major countries under the pretexts of environmental, health, and economic security concerns. It also pointed out that as digital trade increases, new types of regulations are emerging, such as imposing "producer responsibility obligations" on export companies utilizing international e-commerce. KOTRA emphasized that public-private cooperation and local collaboration are crucial to resolving non-tariff barriers, and introduced successful real-world cases of such resolutions.

Lee Heesang, Senior Executive Vice President of KOTRA, stated, "As market diversification becomes more important due to U.S.-China tensions and countries strengthen their trade barriers, the rapid dissemination of trade information and joint public-private responses have become even more vital. We will actively support companies in overcoming difficulties and ensure seamless responses by cooperating with the government and relevant organizations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.