Abstract:
Although the “tariff only” principle was adopted in the Uruguay Round (UR) negotiations on agricultural
products, Korea was able to apply special treatment to its rice and postpone tariffication
of rice imports. After two decades of delay, the Korean government officially announced its decision
to open its rice market beginning in 2015. This paper examines whether it would be legally
possible for the Korean government to postpone the tariffication of rice imports beyond 2014. In
order to address the question, this paper outlines the status of Korean rice in the WTO for the last
twenty years. Then, it analyzes the arguments of those who are against tarifficating rice and of
those who are in support of it. Based on the analysis, it concludes that Korea cannot postpone tariffication
under Annex 5 of the Agreement on Agriculture. While it may request for a waiver under
Article IX of the WTO Agreement, a careful and thorough examination is required to decide
whether to postpone the tariffication beyond 2014.
