The World Trade Organization ruled Friday local time that Korea can impose annual trade sanctions of 85 million U.S. dollars on the U.S. after challenging U.S. anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on washing machines.
This comes after Seoul complained to the WTO that the U.S. had not lifted tariffs to comply with a WTO ruling in 2016, and demanded the right to impose its own sanctions in return.
In 2013, the U.S. Commerce Department, prompted by U.S. home appliance maker Whirlpool Corporation, imposed anti-dumping duties of around 10 percent on washers made by Korean companies like Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.
This WTO arbitration panel ruling is separate from the Trump Administration's recent safeguard measures against Korean washers and solar cells imposed in January 2018.