發布日期:2023-02-01 11:18:18
U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai speaks to reporters, Wednesday (local time), during her visit to SK Siltron CSS' factory in Bay City, Michigan. Reuters-Yonhap
By Park Jae-hyuk
Korean steelmakers expressed disappointment as Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo's latest meeting with his U.S. counterpart in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) failed again to lead Washington to lower its trade barrier, according to industry officials, Thursday.
"We are unsatisfied by the result, but we had predicted the scenario," a steelmaking industry insider said. "It seems that both the public and private sectors should continue to make efforts to convince the U.S. to treat Korea fairly along with the European Union and Japan."
A spokesperson from one of Korea's major steelmakers expressed concerns about possible difficulties from the U.S. import quota, when the steel products market growth comes to an end.
"Korean exporters of steel products will be hit by the potential decline in prices and demands, because the U.S. and the Middle East are the two largest markets for them," he said.
The steelmakers' responses came after U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai reiterated recently that renegotiation of the import quota on Korean steel products is unnecessary.
"I will also just emphasize that in terms of accommodations from the steel and aluminum import tariff actions, Korea was actually one of the first if not the first ... to secure an accommodation from the tariffs," Tai told reporters Wednesday (local time), during her visit to SK Siltron CSS' factory in Bay City, Michigan.
She also said that Korea is already in a better position than many other countries.
Her remarks were interpreted as showing reluctance towards Seoul's request to continue talks on Washington's regulations on steel products from Korea.
In 2018, the former U.S. administration of Donald Trump had imposed the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum products from other countries to protect the American steelmaking industry.
Korea was able to avoid the Trump administration's tariffs at that time, as it accepted an import quota that limits its steel exports to 70 percent of the average between 2015 and 2017.
As a result, Korea's annual steel exports to the U.S. dropped to 2 million tons from 3.83 million tons.
The Joe Biden administration, however, reached agreements to temper the effects of the Section 232 steel tariffs with the EU last year and with Japan last month.
Given that steel products made in Europe and Japan have competed with those produced in Korea, concerns have been raised by Korean steelmakers over the possible deterioration of their competitiveness in the U.S. market.
The government has therefore held multiple meetings with steelmakers to discuss countermeasures.
"Steelmakers are in talks with the government to enable the U.S. government's handling of the Section 232 to become helpful to Korean exporters," a spokesperson from another domestic steelmaker said.
The trade minister and lawmakers also asked U.S. politicians to make efforts to revise Section 232, during their visit to the U.S. this week in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the KORUS FTA.
However, the differences between the two countries on the issue of steel tariffs have yet to show signs of resolution.
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