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1994-05-02
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<text>
<title>
Korea: Study Examines NAFTA Impact On Exports
</title>
<article>
<hdr>
Foreign Broadcast Information Service, April 9, 1992
Korea: Study Examines NAFTA Impact on Exports
</hdr>
<body>
<p>[Article by Yi Hang-ku, senior researcher of the Korean
Institute of Economics and Technology: "Hard Times in Store for
Korean Exporters as NAFTA Takes Effect". Seoul THE KOREA
ECONOMIC WEEKLY in English 6 Apr 92 p 23]
</p>
<p> [Excerpts] During the past six years, the United States has
negotiated a series of bilateral trade agreements with Canada
and Mexico, its largest and third largest trading partners,
respectively. The US-Canada FTA [free trade agreement] was
signed in January 1988 and, on February 5, 1991, the presidents
of the United States and Mexico, and the Prime Minister of
Canada, announced their intention to begin negotiations on a
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). [passage omitted]
</p>
<p> A bilateral or a trilateral FTA basically represents a
preferential trade agreement among member countries and
discriminatory relations against those outside the FTA. The
removal of trade and investment barriers under an FTA has the
potential of creating additional trade activities among member
countries, but also has the potential of diverting trade
activities against non-member countries. [passage omitted]
</p>
<p> The formation of a NAFTA would have an impact on the trade
policies of non-member countries, such as Korea, whose trade
success depends heavily on the North American market.
</p>
<p> Korea, as a non-member country, needs to monitor carefully
the developments in negotiations for the NAFTA and to evaluate
critically the implications of such an agreement for its own
export industries. [passage omitted]
</p>
<p> We (KIET [Korean Institute of Economics and Technology],
North America Division) have finished a study, the "Likely
Impact of NAFTA on Korean Industries." However it is difficult
to quantify the overall impact of the NAFTA on Korean industries
at this stage, because of many variables, both economic and
political, in the negotiations. This analysis was focused on
comparing the industrial competitiveness of the US, Mexico,
Canada and Korea and estimating the impact of the NAFTA on
Korea's exports to the US in six key manufacturing industries.
</p>
<p> These industries are consumer electronics, semiconductors,
computers, telecommunications apparatus, automotive products,
and apparel, which were selected based on the competition
status between Korean and Mexican goods in the American market.
</p>
<p> This study finds that Korean exports to the US would
experience more trade diversion and increased competition in
labor-intensive products. The industries that would be most
affected by the NAFTA are consumer electronics in the short
term and computers, telecommunications equipment, automobiles,
and apparel in the long term. The semiconductor industry would
not be affected for the time being. [passage omitted]
</p>
<p> As domestic policy measures, this study recommends:
broadening research and development, intensifying technology
development, developing brand names instead of emphasizing OEM
[original equipment manufacturing] exports, specializing
production according to company size, intensifying marketing
efforts in the US market, continuing efforts to improve product
quality, shifting toward more capital--and technology--intensive products, and expanding local production capacities
in the markets of NAFTA members in the areas of consumer
electronics and apparel.
</p>
<p> As external policy measures, this study recommends the
following actions: continued monitoring of the developments in
the NAFTA negotiations: developing detailed action plans
designed to avoid trade frictions with the United States:
supporting the re-opening of, and participation in, the Uruguay
Round of GATT [General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]
negotiations; and initiating increased cooperation with the
countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
</p>
</body>
</article>
</text>