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U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement: Potential Economy-wide ... - USITC

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textiles and apparel through 2005. 306 Although <strong>Korea</strong>n production of textiles and apparel<br />

declined by 28 percent during the years 2000–2005, the textile and apparel sector is still a<br />

key source of economic activity in <strong>Korea</strong>, generating 9.6 percent of manufacturing jobs<br />

(274,000), 4.4 percent of manufacturing output, 4.6 percent of exports ($13 billion), and a<br />

trade surplus of $7.2 billion in 2005. 307<br />

U.S. Imports<br />

The expected increase in U.S. imports of textiles and apparel from <strong>Korea</strong> under the FTA will<br />

likely be concentrated in man-made fibers and goods made of such fibers, for which <strong>Korea</strong><br />

is a major world producer 308 and has a “proven advantage.” 309 U.S. tariffs range from 4.3<br />

percent ad valorem for fibers to 8–8.8 percent for yarns, 12–14.9 percent for woven fabrics,<br />

18.8 percent for socks, and 30 percent for sweaters. <strong>Korea</strong> was the seventh-largest supplier<br />

of U.S. imports of man-made fiber textiles and apparel in 2006 with an import share of 3.0<br />

percent ($1.0 billion), but the fourth-largest for man-made fiber textiles (excluding apparel)<br />

with an import share of 5.3 percent ($611 million). 310<br />

<strong>Korea</strong> is a major producer of polyester fibers, especially polyester staple fibers (PSF) and<br />

filaments, 311 accounting for 5.6 percent of world output of polyester fibers in 2005. 312 The<br />

FTA would immediately eliminate the U.S. tariff on imports of PSF from <strong>Korea</strong>, although<br />

U.S. imports of certain PSF from <strong>Korea</strong> would still be subject to a U.S. antidumping order, 313<br />

and phase out U.S. tariffs on most polyester-filament yarns from <strong>Korea</strong> over 10 years. <strong>Korea</strong><br />

is the largest foreign supplier of these inputs, accounting for 37 percent ($165 million) of<br />

U.S. imports of PSF and 24 percent ($33 million) of U.S. imports of nontextured filament<br />

yarn, including nontextured polyester filament yarn. The expected increase in imports of PSF<br />

and polyester filaments from <strong>Korea</strong> will likely displace domestic production of U.S. fiber<br />

manufacturers, which posted declines in shipments during 2000–05 of 25 percent in PSF,<br />

39 percent in polyester textile filament, and 15 percent in polyester industrial filament.<br />

306 KOFOTI, Textile and Fashion <strong>Korea</strong>, March 2007.<br />

307 WTO, “International <strong>Trade</strong> Statistics 2006;” KOFOTI, Textile and Fashion <strong>Korea</strong>, March 2007;<br />

KOFOTI, “Industry Scoreboard,” March 2007; and USDOS, U.S. Embassy, Seoul, “2006 Updated Statistics<br />

for <strong>Korea</strong>n Textiles and Apparel Sector (SEOUL 003613),” October 20, 2006.<br />

308 <strong>Korea</strong>’s Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy in 1998 introduced the Milano Project, which<br />

“offers special supports to research and development in design and apparel as well as yarn, dyeing,<br />

fabrication, textile machinery and synthetic fabrics” for the textile industry in Daegu, which reportedly has<br />

the largest synthetic fabric production and export complex in the world. Daegu (<strong>Korea</strong>), City of. “Milano<br />

Project.”<br />

309 <strong>Korea</strong> reportedly has a proven advantage in melt spinning, a method of spinning filaments of<br />

manufactured fibers such as polyester. Mauretti, “The Outlook for Technical Textiles World<strong>wide</strong>,”<br />

July 13, 2006, 6.<br />

310 The largest sources of U.S. imports of man-made fiber textiles (excluding apparel) in 2006 were China<br />

($5.1 billion), Canada ($1.2 billion), and Mexico ($826 million). International <strong>Trade</strong> Administration, Office<br />

of Textiles and Apparel.<br />

311 The Harmonized System divides man-made fibers into filaments (chap. 54) and staple fibers (chap.<br />

55): Filaments are fibers in continuous lengths (e.g., miles long), while staple fibers are made from filaments<br />

cut into shorter lengths, depending on end use (e.g., 2–3 inches in length for blending with cotton).<br />

312 The largest producers of polyester fibers in 2005 were China (51 percent of world output) and Taiwan<br />

(8.1 percent). The United States generated 5.5 percent of the world total. Fiber Economics Bureau, Fiber<br />

Organon, July 2006, 133.<br />

313 The U.S. tariff on PSF, classified in HTS subheading 5503.20.00 (polyester staple fibers, not carded,<br />

combed, or otherwise processed for spinning), is 4.3 percent ad valorem. The U.S. antidumping duty order<br />

covers imports from <strong>Korea</strong> of PSF measuring 3.3 decitex or more in diameter, cut into lengths of one inch to<br />

5 inches, and used as fiberfill in furniture, pillows, comforters, cushions, sleeping bags, and ski jackets.<br />

<strong>USITC</strong>, Certain Polyester Staple Fiber from <strong>Korea</strong> and Taiwan, March 2006, 3.<br />

3-54

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