서강대학교

초록/요약

This paper examines the non-tariff barriers (NTB) in Korea by surveying Korea’s trading partners. Based on field data collected from six countries, this article analyses the trends of non-tariff barriers in Korea and gives relevant policy implications. We find that there is a dynamic trend of NTBs in Korea with a declining usage of “obvious NTBs” but increasing usage of “technical barriers”. Additionally, the Korean government applies NTBs to protect certain sectors such as products with animal origin, plants, and automobiles. The agricultural protectionism by imposing sanitary and phytosanitary measures and rather higher tariffs in Korea has some similarities with Japan. But it seems that specific national standards are inclined to be more embedded to harmonize with multilateral and bilateral systems. The opinions from Korea’s trading partners also reveal that trade with Korea still meets limitations such as long distances, cultural differences, and tariff barriers in the agricultural sector other than pure NTBs. The Korean government should consider how to eliminate trade obstacles by simplifying complex import application procedures, consistently harmonizing standards with international systems, and pursuing trade liberalization combined with continuous domestic reform. Key Words: Non-Tariff Barriers, Protectionism, SPS, TBT, Special Safe guards, TRQ