Gov't opens unified trade support office

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- Seoul has opened a unified support office to help South Korean companies overcome technical trade barriers related to exports, the government said Monday.

The office, located at the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards in
Gwacheon, south of Seoul, will provide local companies with a complete list of
technical barriers to trade (TBT), which have started to replace import duties
and quotas as the main restrictions on exports.
TBTs include consumer safety standards, energy and environmental requirements.
The European Union's (EU) REACH and RoHS programs are forms of TBTs.
Seoul had previously operated several centers providing support to exporters, but
seeking advice was often complicated and inconvenient as these offices were run
by separate ministries and agencies. The new technology standard agency is under
the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
"There are numerous types of barriers with 1,000 new restrictions being added
every year," said a ministry official. He said the new office will provide
detailed information on its Web site (www.knowtbt.kr) and inform individual
companies automatically of updates if they register to receive related
information.
The system is aimed at supporting small- and medium- sized enterprises that do
not have expert resources to check developments.
The United States, the EU, Japan and China operate similar offices to help local
companies.
South Korea is the 11th largest trading nation in the world, with exports
reaching $371.5 billion in 2007.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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