South Korea hits out at US, Japan and Australia

Reports in the Korean press will say tomorrow (Wednesday) that there are over 250 barriers to the country doing business in other countries, with unfair rules and systems operating in 61 countries. The SK Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy has hit back at unfair practices from countries including Japan, mainland China, Russia, Australia and the United States. But the UK does not come under attack from the Ministry. Nor does Germany, despite the invective Siemens delivered to LG Semicon in early August. Local newspapers say that Korean companies have barriers to their trade not only in Asia, but abroad. Those include problems with issuing visas, health taxes and even driving licences. The country will respond to the attacks against its integrity by sending delegations to the respective countries, asking them to look at the record, according to the reports. Such practices were damaging local industries, said the government official. The UK is probably exempt from the criticism because foreign and commonwealth Labour Party minister Derek Fatchett said in early July that it would help South Korea. Unfortunately, that came the same day as his colleague, DTI minister Peter Mandelson, accused South Korean DRAM companies of dumping their products in Europe and abroad. The UK government later described the apparent contradiction as a matter of “macro and micro economics”. ®