Namely, the Japanese government said that the subsidies provided by the state-run Korea Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of Korea to DSME, Sungdong Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and STX Offshore & Shipbuilding violated the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement.
Japan suggested that the subsidies distort the market and hinder the resolution of oversupply problems in the industry.
In addition, Japan claims that financial backing of Hyundai Merchant Marine’s latest shipbuilding contracts was also in breach of WTO Agreement.
South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy voiced its willingness to discuss the matter with Japanese counterparts, adding that the government reexamined the legal conformity of the issues in consultation with the relevant ministries.
The ministry said that the consultation concluded that decision to help its shipbuilding and shipping companies was based on commercial judgment and that it complies with international rules.
The two countries are expected to engage in a consultation process within the next 30 days. If a solution is not reached within two months, the issue will be submitted to the WTO for a dispute settlement.
The South Korean government has been very busy with the plans to strengthen its shipping industry, which witnessed a downward trend in the recent period, especially following the Hanjin bankruptcy.
One of the most notable moves was the establishment of Korea Ocean Business Corp (KOBC), a maritime powerhouse, to provide financial and industrial policy support to the country’s shipping and shipbuilding industries.
However, South Korea’s investments have infuriated European shipowners and maritime technology industry, which recently called upon the European Commission and the EU Member States to take concrete and decisive actions against the country’s “unfair trade practices and in favour of global playing field.”
韓國政府駁斥了日本說韓國政府支持財政困境的造船廠違反了國際貿易規則的說法。
也就是說，日本政府表示，國營的韓國開發銀行和韓國進出口銀行向DSME，Sungdong造船和海洋工程以及STX海洋和造船公司提供的補貼違反了世界貿易組織（WTO）的規定協議。
日本建議補貼會扭曲市場，阻礙解決行業供過於求的問題。
此外，日本聲稱，Hyundai商船的最新造船合同的財政支持也違反了WTO協議。
韓國貿易，工業和能源部表示願意與日本討論此事，並補充說政府在與相關部委協商後重新審查了這些問題的合法性。
該部表示，協商的結論是，幫助其造船和航運公司的決定是基於商業判斷，並符合國際規則。
預計兩國將在未來30天內進行磋商。如果在兩個月內未達成解決方案，該問題將提交世貿組織以進行爭端解決。
韓國政府一直非常忙於加強航運業的計劃，這一計劃在近期出現了下降趨勢，特別是在韓進破產之後。
其中一項最值得注意的舉措是成立了韓國海洋商業公司（KOBC），一個強權集團，被該國的航運和造船業提供金融和產業政策支持。
然而，韓國的投資激怒了歐洲船東和海事技術行業，最近 呼籲 歐盟委員會和歐盟成員國採取具體和果斷行動，反對該國的 “不公平貿易行為，並支持全球競爭”。
Information source: World Maritime News Staff , Image Courtesy: Yonhap News
