South Korea Challenges EU, China Rules at WTO

The South Korean government has taken a proactive stance at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to challenge overseas technical regulations that hinder the activities of domestic exporting companies. At the 3rd WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade held on November 13, Korean representatives, including the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, attended multilateral and bilateral negotiations.

The primary focus was on addressing the growing trend of countries tightening technical regulations to protect their own industries. During the committee, the government submitted specific Trade Concerns (STCs) regarding key environmental regulations in the European Union (EU), including the delegated act on the calculation of recycled content under the EU Battery Regulation, various packaging regulations, and the Ecodesign Regulation.

Additionally, South Korea raised concerns over stringent technical regulations in China, specifically citing China’s Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Medical Devices. The government also conveyed concerns to Indonesia regarding the National Standard (SNI) certification regulation applied to audio and video products.

In parallel, bilateral consultations were held to explore practical solutions and bilateral cooperation. South Korea's head of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, Kim Kyoo-sung, highlighted the increasing global trend of countries using technical regulations to protect and foster their domestic industries. The government plans to continue following up on the matters discussed at the committee to resolve the difficulties faced by Korean companies due to overseas technical regulations.

Brief written by urgent.news from BusinessKorea's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.