The government has raised eight foreign technical regulations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee that could hinder exports for domestic companies.
The National Institute of Technology and Standards and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety participated in the second WTO TBT Committee meeting held from July 7 to 10, 2026, to negotiate solutions to export challenges caused by these foreign regulations.
The regulations identified by the government as specific trade concerns include the European Union's packaging waste regulations, single-use plastics directive, perfluorinated compounds regulation, Indonesia's tire national certification (SNI) regulation, and a draft decree on cosmetics management in Vietnam.
These regulations are introduced under the guise of environmental, safety, and quality management. However, they can lead to increased testing and certification costs, customs delays, and product design changes for companies. This burden is particularly significant for industries like semiconductors, batteries, and displays, which are globally interconnected and may need to adjust production and export strategies in response to changes in foreign technical regulations.
Recently, foreign technical regulations have expanded beyond simple quality standards to include carbon emissions, recycling, hazardous substances, and supply chain transparency. As a result, a company's export competitiveness may increasingly depend on how quickly it can understand and respond to various national regulations, in addition to price and quality.
During the committee meeting, a special session on lithium batteries was also held, featuring domestic experts as moderators and speakers. They discussed the K-battery industry and the concerns faced by the industry in responding to global regulations, including the EU battery regulation. Choi Yo-han, head of the Life Cycle Assessment Team at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, served as the moderator, while Park Jung-won, head of the Trade and Environmental Affairs Division at the Battery Association, participated as a speaker.
Kim Dae-ja, head of the National Institute of Technology and Standards, stated, "The government will actively work to resolve the challenges faced by our export companies due to foreign technical regulations," and urged the industry to make full use of the government's TBT consultation channels to address these export difficulties.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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