The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled in favor of South Korea in an anti-dumping dispute between Seoul and Washington over South Korean washing machines.
Seoul’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Friday that a WTO Panel on the case found that U.S. anti-dumping duties of nine to 13 percent slapped on South Korean washing machines violated WTO regulations.
Reaching the decision, the panel circulated the report to WTO member states.
The U.S. government imposed the duties in 2013 after U.S. home appliance maker Whirlpool filed petitions against the South Korean washing machine manufacturers. The petition claimed that the firms were selling washers in the United States at prices below market value.
In response, the Korean manufacturers asked the Korean government to bring the case to the World Trade Organization.
The U.S. has 60 days to decide whether to appeal. If it decides to do so, that decision will come three months after the appeal is filed.
The latest ruling will apply to other similar anti-dumping cases and is expected to help improve export conditions of key South Korean industries to the United States.
The U.S. is currently looking into dumping charges on 19 South Korean export items including 15 steel products and two electronic products.
These 19 items posted five-point-three billion dollars’ worth of exports to the U.S. in 2014.