• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.91-110
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• 2018

Consumers repeatedly make small sum purchases through business-to-consumer contracts, usually without incident. Consumer areas have been increasing; therefore, consumer disputes have been occurring frequently as well. In international consumer transactions, it is not easy to solve consumer disputes by applying the laws of different countries. Resolving disputes by using the consumer arbitration system can be a measure to protect consumers. In the U.S., a class arbitration is being operated as a mixed dispute resolution system of class action and arbitration. Consumer Arbitration has long been a controversial issue in the U.S. It is therefore a lesson for us to examine related cases. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, DIRECTV v. Imburgia, was looked into and after a summary of the facts, issues, and opinions and opposing opinions that had a tight controversy, a close analysis was done. The analysis through this judgment is as follows: first, the contraction of consumer protection; second, the expansion of the Federal Arbitration Act scope; third, the class arbitration's restriction; and fourth, the submission of the arbitration fairness act.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.55-83
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• 2022

The United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (Singapore Mediation Convention) results in new challenges to the area of international dispute resolution by providing the enforcement regime for mediated settlement agreements, which have not been admitted as enforceable in some civil law countries, including Korea and Japan. Japan has struggled to promote international arbitration and international mediation, and such efforts were accelerated by the adoption of the Singapore Mediation Convention in 2018. In order to standardize arbitration proceedings and promote the practice of international arbitration, Japan produced two noticeable results: the new JCAA Arbitration Rules and the amendment to the Arbitration Act of Japan. In addition to that Expedited arbitration procedure and Interactive Arbitration Rules of JCAA present the new possibility of international arbitration procedure for civil law practitioners, the amendment to the Arbitration Act of Japan suggests significant implications to Korea for its manifest provisions regarding enforcement requirements and proceedings and its protection of Access to Justice for foreign law practitioners.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.3-35
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• 2023

The Korean government has enacted the Arbitration Industry Promotion Act, which aims to foster the arbitration system as an industry, strengthen national competitiveness, and systematically provide government support so that the arbitration industry can become a future growth engine, and has been in effect since June 28, 2017. In accordance with Article 3 of the Arbitration Industry Promotion Act, the Minister of Justice must establish and implement the Basic Plan for the Promotion of the arbitration industry every five years to promote the arbitration industry. Accordingly, the Ministry of Justice established the "Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Arbitration Industry" (2019-2023) at the end of 2018, which has been in effect since January 1, 2019. This study first reviews and evaluates the domestic arbitration sector performance of the first basic plan, then reviews and evaluates the international arbitration sector performance of the first basic plan, and finally suggests what tasks to focus on when establishing the second basic plan for Promotion of Arbitration Industry.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.69-87
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• 2023

This study recognizes that consumers are becoming important as a subject of commerce as they change from the existing e-commerce market to the consumer-led e-commerce market, and proposes the use of consumer intervention as a remedy for consumer damage in international e-commerce disputes. In Korea, there is no separate regulation on consumer arbitration, so we will analyze the U.S. arbitration judgment, which is the most active in consumer arbitration, and examine it through the U.S. arbitration judgment so that arbitration can become active as a remedy for consumer disputes in Korea. In summary, in the event of a dispute between consumers and companies through e-commerce, consumers' preference for arbitration was confirmed through repeated collection of opinions without coercion. It is necessary to revitalize arbitration in Korea to protect consumers through arbitration rather than litigation and to resolve disputes through active alternative dispute resolution as a solution to disputes in e-commerce, which is rapidly increasing through U.S. consumer arbitration cases. The topic of the activation of arbitration has been mentioned a lot before, but the preference for arbitration is still lower than that of litigation. However, from now on, as the appearance of existing commerce has changed to consumer-led e-commerce, it has proposed a plan to use arbitration to rescue consumers from damage as consumers as buyers grow in the market.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.151-171
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• 2010

This paper investigates the consumer arbitration practices In the U.S. The key issue in consumer arbitration is how to protect the individual consumers from the loss of their legal rights stemming from the arbitration agreement with the business. In the U.S., the major legal doctrines to protect individual consumer include the voluntary-knowing-intelligent doctrine, unconscionability doctrine, and void contract. Even though the US courts are favorable to the enforceability of arbitration agreement, they strictly apply the contract law theories in deciding the existence of arbitration agreement, providing a strong common law protection for the consumers in arbitration. However, the practices for protection of consumers in arbitration in Korea are not mature yet. If consumer arbitration is widely adopted into B to C contracts, a protective measure for individual consumer can be found in the Act of Clause Regulation providing that the business has duty to explain the relevant clause in the adhesive contracts.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.133-157
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• 2014

To confirm the division of the scope of sports arbitration, the English sports arbitration system will be analyzed as well as the scope of the regulations of the international sports arbitration court. If these forms of sport arbitration are combined with the existing China legal system and sports systems, they will effectively deal with the procedures of sports arbitration and of their linked programs, and clarify the nature of sports arbitration. With regard to the judicial supervision mode, domestic scholars have two theoretical perspectives, "comprehensive supervision theory" and "program supervision theory". Based on analyzing the above theories, the author believes that the opposition between the two is not absolute, as both can reach agreement on the important issue of whether to conduct substantive court examination or not under the premise of party autonomy.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.25-49
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• 2015

That the arbitration will begin with an arbitrator to be done by the arbitrator is not too much to say. The arbitrator shall have a decisive influence on the outcome of an arbitration in any arbitral right to award arbitration. As demonstrated in sayings like "Good arbitration is a good arbitrator" and "Arbitration is as arbitrator", professionalism and fairness are the basis for the arbitration procedure. Parties qualifications and authority of the arbitrator shall be a dispute-resolution process, requiring special attention and special care because the careful review of the arbitration award itself exerts a significant influence on the selection of an arbitrator. Therefore, this paper, first, analyzes the meaning of international arbitrators as a general overview of international arbitrators, qualifications, etc. and looks for focuses of the role. Next, the purpose of this paper is to seek ways to expand trade and international arbitration institutions in international transactions by examining training plans such as for international arbitrators.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.3-20
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• 2018

Independence and impartiality are the operating core of an arbitration disciplinary mechanism. Due to many factors, illegalities and improper acts in arbitration cases are facts of life in our country, and have greatly damaged the credibility of arbitration. It is necessary for us to perfect the operating mechanism of arbitration discipline from the four pluralistic progressive aspects of disciplining the cause externalization, disciplining the subject duality, the quasi-judicature of disciplinary procedures and the disciplining measures so that the populace can experience fairness and justice in every case. We should perfect the supporting measures such as the strict selection conditions and procedures of arbitrators, improving the quality of the arbitrator team, exploring the management mechanisms and strengthening the evaluation dynamic. An examination is a general investigation and evaluation so as to provide encouragement for being continually engaged as arbitrators, but it does not provide an objective basis of arbitration discipline. It is urgent to perfect the arbitration guarantee system on the basis of meeting the material needs of the arbitrators so as to enhance the sense of professional rank and honour of arbitration.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.89-105
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• 2019

This paper reviews and analyzes the U.S. cases and statutes on the issue of party autonomy in arbitration agreement. Arbitration agreement has been interpreted somewhat differently from general contracts because its legal characteristics are not purely contractual by nature. For example, some legal scholars insist that an arbitration contract is more about an agreement on a process of dispute resolution than a creation of rights and obligations to avoid litigation. Party autonomy was discussed in diverse legal perspectives including contract of adhesion, VKI principle, and separability of arbitration clause. These three legal perspectives are discussed to set the legal relationship between party autonomy and protection of consumers in consumer arbitration. In addition, it was discussed how legal defects in the formation of an arbitration contract can influence the party autonomy. The legal defects that were discussed to analyze the relationship between arbitration agreement and party autonomy included misrepresentation, fraud, mistake, duress, and undue influence.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.38
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• pp.155-180
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• 2008

The purpose of this paper is to examine the major elements of Arbitration Clause in international investment contracts and to help the investor, especially foreign investors, considering these elements when they draft the contracts. First of all, to describe the extent of the arbitrable issues broadly is very important by using the phrase such as "disputes in connection with". Furthermore in order to be enforceable, the issues must be a subject-matter to be submitted to arbitration in accordance with the laws of the place of arbitration and the law application to the merits of the disputes (N.Y. Convention, Art. II). Second, the appointment of the arbitrators usually shall be based on the principle of freedom of contract. If the parties do not agree on the appointment, it is decided in accordance with the arbitration rules of the institution by the tribunal. Third, the procedural rules of the arbitration are the arbitration rules of the arbitration institution in case of institution arbitration, unless otherwise agreed. Forth, what is the most importance element of Arbitration Clause is the place of arbitration. In this case, also the principle of freedom of contract has priority. Unless otherwise agreed, Washington is the place of arbitration in case of ICSID Arbitration, but in case of ICC Arbitration, neutral third country may be the place of arbitration. However in case of ad hoc arbitration, both parties should indicate the place. If not, the whole arbitration may be paralysed by an uncooperative party. Besides the major elements, I examined the relation between the arbitration clause and award enforcement in terms of sovereign immunity. The enforcement of awards in the field of state contracts many encounter the problem of the sovereign immunity, which means that the State itself or the State enterprise is the contract partner. To avoid the this problems, it is advisable for the parties insert the clause such as ICSID Model Clause XIX.