Study on the Application of Agreement Tariffs According to Changes in the Logistics Environment : Focusing on the Korea-China FTA and the Korea-Peru FTA

According to global export and import statistics as of 2023, Korea's exports to China amounted to $124.6 billion, while its imports amounted to $142.8 billion, accounting for about 20% of the total share. It was also found that the proportion of raw materials imported by Korean companies from Peru is gradually increasing. Accordingly, in order to identify the points to note in applying the agreement tariff, we analyzed the cases of review requests for the Korea-China FTA and the Korea-Peru FTA received by the Tax Tribunal&Korea Customs Service. As a result, first, it was found that Korean companies misinterpreted the FTA agreement text and were not aware of the reapplication guidelines related to the revised FTA Tariff Special Measures Act, which prevented them from receiving preferential tariffs. Second, it was found that the roles and cooperation of exporters, producers, and customs authorities of the counterpart country are important in the Korea Customs Service's country of origin verification investigation stage. Therefore, this study presents practical implications for Korean importers utilizing the FTA and Korean companies operating overseas, and proposes policy support measures to the government and customs authorities so that companies can receive preferential tariffs.