Korea and Slovakia Vow to Promote Economic Cooperation in All Area

Dignitaries, including Slovak President Andrej Kiska, KITA Executive Vice Chairman Han Jin-hyun, and Executive Vice Chairman Kim Joon-dong of Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry attend a dinner for the visiting Slovak president, hosted by five economic organizations at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul on April 10. (Photo: KITA)

Executive Vice Chairman Han Jin-hyun of Korea International Trade Association (KITA) expressed hope that Korean companies, which are leaders the 4th Industrial Revolution based on excellent manufacturing capabilities and advanced ICT infrastructure, will expand cooperation with Slovakia.
Slovakia’s high-tech industries are growing fast, based on automobile and electronic parts production capacity.
Executive Vice Chairman Han made the remarks at a dinner for visiting Slovak President Andrej Kiska, hosted by five economic organizations at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul on April 10. Among some 100 people on hand were Slovak President Kiska; KITA Executive Vice Chairman Han; Executive Vice Chairman Kim Joon-dong of Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Vice Chairman Shin Young-sun of Korea Federation of SMEs; and Vice Chairman Pan Won-ik of the Association of High Potential Enterprises of Korea.
“Slovakia is seeing high-tech industries grow fast thanks to automobile and electronic parts production knowhow, and cooperation with our companies, which leads an era of the 4th Industrial Revolution by making the most of excellent manufacturing capabilities and advanced ICT infrastructure is hoped to be expanded,” Executive Vice Chairman Han said.
While delivering a speech about Slovakia’s business and investment environment, Slovak President Kiska expressed hope that bilateral ties will be upgraded on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties. Kiska also said he expressed hope cooperation will be expanded in diverse areas ranging from trade and investment to science technology as well as cultural and manpower exchanges.
Slovakia has geographical advantages, including its location at the center of Europe, serves as a European production center for global manufacturing thanks to the Sovak government’s policies to attract FDIs. About 90 Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics and Kia Motors, have production centers in Slovakia.
U.S. Levies Antidumping Duty against Korean-Made Carbon Alloy Wire Rods
The United States decided to impose a 41.1 percent antidumping duty against Korean-made carbon alloy wire rods. The United States also levied a 76 percent antidumping duty against Korean-made Oil Country Tubular Goods steel pipes in April.
The Korean government reduced 2018’s average steel exports to about 70 percent of the average, which had stood at 2.68 million tons between 2015 and 2017, so the United States granted a 25 percent steel duty exemption for steel products, but the move failed to take effect on each steel product.
The United States International Trade Commission imposed antidumping and countervailing duties against carbon alloy wire rods from five countries, including Korea, the U.K., Spain and Turkey.
Carbon alloy wire rods are used for making nails, bolts and nuts. Duties imposed against each country ranged from 147.63 percent, the highest, against the U.K. for five years, to 41.1 percent, the second highest, against Korea. The figure stood at between 20.25 and 32.64 percent for Spain, between 12.41 percent and 18.89 percent for Italia as well as between 4.74 percent and 7.94 percent for Turkey.
In March 2017, the U.S. Commerce Department ruled in favor of U.S. steel companies’ claims they suffered damages from foreign-made carbon alloy wire rods from 10 countries, including Korea, and launched an antidumping probe.
Last November, the department imposed preliminary antidumping duties against Korean-made carbon alloy wire rods and finalized a 41.1 percent duty against Korean-made products in March.

무역협회, 슬로바키아 대통령 초청 환영만찬 개최

- 양국 수교 25주년 맞아 전방위 경제협력 의지 다져 -

한국무역협회(회장 김영주)는 10일 소공동 롯데호텔에서 ‘안드레 키스카(Andrej Kiska)

슬로바키아 공화국 대통령 초청 경제5단체 주최 환영 만찬’을 개최했다.

이날 만찬에는 안드레 키스카 대통령 및 방한 슬로바키아 주요인사 40여명과 한진현 무역협회 부회장,

김준동 대한상공회의소 부회장, 신영선 중소기업중앙회 부회장, 반원익 중견기업연합회 부회장을 비롯한

경제계 인사 60여명이 참석했다.

한진현 부회장은 환영사를 통해 “슬로바키아는 자동차·전자제품 제조 노하우를 바탕으로 첨단산업이

빠르게 발전하고 있다”고 언급하면서, “뛰어난 제조역량과 수준높은 ICT 인프라를 바탕으로 4차산업혁명

시대를 선도하고 있는 우리기업과의 협력이 점차 확대되기를 바란다”고 전했다.

안드레 키스카 슬로바키아 대통령은 기조연설에서 “양국 수교 25주년을 맞이하는 뜻깊은 해 인만큼

양국의 관계가 한 단계 업그레이드 되고 교역과 투자는 물론, 과학기술과 문화·인적 교류 등

다방면에서의 협력이 확대되기를 기대한다”고 밝혔다.

슬로바키아는 유럽중심에 위치한 지리적 이점과 적극적인 외자유치 정책을 바탕으로 글로벌 제조기업의

유럽 생산기지 역할을 하고 있으며, 삼성전자와 기아자동차 등 90여개의 우리기업이 슬로바키아에 생산거점을 두고 있다.

<출처:한국무역협회>