▲ This photo, released by AFP, shows U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer addressing a press meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent following a new round of trade discussions with Chinese officials in Paris on March 16, 2026. (Yonhap)

USTR-WTO reform

U.S. says S. Korea, 3 other WTO members keep developing country status despite pledge to forgo special treatment

By Song Sang-ho and Baek Na-ri

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Yonhap) -- The United States said Monday that South Korea and three other members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) maintained their self-declared developing status despite their pledge to forgo special and differential treatment (SDT) in WTO negotiations.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a report on WTO reform issues, including on eligibility for SDT, on the eve of a WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon, as it reiterated the need for WTO reform in pursuit of "reciprocity" and "balance" in the international trading system.

"Between March 2019 and March 2020, four WTO members -- Brazil, Singapore, Korea, and Costa Rica -- announced that they would forgo SDT provisions in current and future WTO negotiations, yet they maintained their self-declared developing country status," the report said.

On China, the report said that in September 2025, China announced it will not seek SDT in WTO negotiations but pointed out that a "closer examination raises questions about China's pledge."

When a country self-declares as a developing country, it can seek SDT, including more time to implement WTO agreements or technical aid.

For a decade, the U.S. has advocated for the creation of "objective" criteria for SDT eligibility in WTO agreements, it said.

It also elaborated on a U.S. proposal that would establish four categories of WTO members that would not avail themselves of SDT.

The categories involve a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development or an applicant; a G20 member; a WTO member designated as a "high-income" country by the World Bank and a WTO member that accounts for no less than 0.5 percent of global merchandise trade.

The U.S. stressed the need to ensure that the SDT benefits are reserved for WTO members "with the greatest difficulty integrating into the trading system."

In a statement, USTR Jamieson Greer underscored the need for WTO reform.

"The WTO needs to change if it intends to have any relevance as the international trading system transitions to focus on reciprocity and balance," Greer said. "The United States, with this report, continues to lead on concrete proposals to promote Member-driven reform discussions."

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