Interpretation of Domestic Industry under Safeguard Agreement

세이프가드협정상의 국내산업 범위에 대한 해석

This paper discusses the definition of the term "domestic industry" in relation to the application of the safeguards provisions of the WTO through the judicial interpretation made by the WTO Appellate Body and panel. The requirements for the imposition of safeguards include a rapid increase in import quantity, the existence of serious injury or threat of serious injury to the domestic industry, and a causal relationship between the increase in imports and the industrial injury. The domestic industry refers to the producers that account for a considerable portion of the total national production, or the national producers who produce articles "like" or "directly competitive" with the specific imports. Chronically, there have been controversial disputes relating to the interpretation of the term "like" or "directly competitive". Reviewing the disputes relating to the term "domestic industry" in application of the safeguards provisions since the establishment of the WTO, the interpretation of the term "like" has been made imposing weight on the physical characteristics of the products. This interpretation is in contrast with that of the interpretation of the term "directly competitive" which has been interpreted with imposed weight on the commercial elasticity of substitution which can be measured by the final use or consumer's taste.