VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #4123/01 3350627
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 010627Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1621
INFO RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1738
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY 1584
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SEOUL 004123 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB, EAP/K 
STATE PLS PASS USTR FOR CUTLER, AUGEROT, KI 
COMMERCE FOR ITA/MAC/DUTTON 
NSC FOR TONG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD EINV ECON KS
SUBJECT: ROKG-AMCHAM ON REGULATORY REFORM 
 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1.  (U)  The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) held its 
semi-annual meeting on regulatory reform with Deputy Minister 
Park (in the Office of Policy Coordination under the Prime 
Minister) on November 22.  Park emphasized the ROKG's 
continuing commitment to regulatory reform, and highlighted 
major milestones over the past year including reforms in the 
air transport, tourism, and property management sectors. 
Park emphasized that the reform process was separate from 
ongoing FTA negotiations, and designed to address regulatory 
issues of concern to U.S. investors (or potential U.S. 
investors) in Korea. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  AmCham President Tami Overby raised four issues: 
(1) draft Ministry of Health and Welfare regulations that 
limit the ability of private insurance providers to cover 
co-pays for Korea's national health insurance system (and 
subject providers of health insurance to regulation by both 
the Financial Supervisory Service and the Ministry of Health 
and Welfare), (2) mandatory inclusion of foreigners  in 
Korea's national health insurance (even if they already have 
private insurance, as many expatriate staff of AmCham member 
companies do), (3) Lear Corporation's difficulty in setting 
up a manufacturing plant in the Pusan Free Economic Zone, and 
(4) the obligatory surrender of foreign driving licenses to 
obtain Korean licenses.  The Regulatory Reform Bureau (RRB) 
promised to look into each of these issues and get back to 
AmCham.  Park also undertook to accept Amcham submissions 
continuously throughout the year rather than on a quarterly 
basis.  END SUMMARY. 
 
SEMI-ANNUAL MEETINGS 
-------------------- 
¶3. (SBU)  In June 2005, the RRB of the Office for Policy 
Coordination (under the Prime Minister's Office) and the 
American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AmCham) agreed to 
create a channel to address regulatory issues of concern to 
the U.S. business community.  A top-level Steering Group was 
created to give the process direction, with a Working Group 
under that meeting to discuss specific regulatory issues that 
U.S. businesses have raised.   Since June 2005, AmCham 
officials and member company representatives, accompanied by 
ECON section staff, have met with the RRB four times at the 
steering or working group level.  These semi-annual meetings 
serve dual purposes: both to encourage the RRC to stay the 
course on regulatory reform, and also to try to resolve 
specific regulatory issues that U.S. companies have said are 
impediments to their doing business in Korea. 
 
Thanks first... 
------------ 
¶4. (SBU)  Deputy Minister (for Regulatory Reform) Park, 
Cheol-gon opened the November 22 meeting  by emphasizing the 
RRB's commitment to stream-lining and clarifying commercial 
regulations, (although he acknowledged that commitment wasn't 
always shared by individual ROKG ministries or offices), and 
highlighted some of the RRB's major efforts over the 
preceding year, which included reforms in the air transport, 
tourism, and property management sectors. Referencing the 
ongoing KORUS FTA negotiations, Park clarified that the FTA 
was separate from the AmCham-Regulatory Reform Bureau 
discussions, which were aimed at reducing the regulatory 
burden on foreign companies operating in (or interested in 
operating in) Korea.  He thanked AmCham for the positive 
assessment of RRB work it had provided to visiting OECD 
officials, as the RRC readies its first annual reform report 
to the OECD this December. 
 
...then the regulatory issues. 
------------------- 
¶5.  (SBU)  AmCham President Tami Overby acknowledged the hard 
work the RRC has done to date to improve the business 
environment in Korea and noted the AmCham had apprised the 
OECD of this fact.  She then turned to four key issues that 
AmCham members believe currently constitute regulatory issues 
that are impeding their ability to doing business in Korea. 
 
PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE 
------------------------ 
¶6.  (SBU)  Referring to recently announced draft Ministry of 
Health and Welfare (MHW) regulations that would bar private 
health insurance providers from covering mandatory national 
health Insurance "co-payments" of medical fees, Overby noted 
this regulation, if finalized, would constitute a major 
disruption to the market and raise insurance costs by 
eliminating competition.  She emphasized the regulations 
would also set up a new regulatory, supervisory authority in 
the MHW that would overlap with the current one in the 
Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Deputy Minister Park acknowledged that this issue 
is important, the subject of active inter-agency discussions. 
 Some officials argue the regulation will raise costs to 
consumers and deny them choice, while others (read: MHW) are 
worried about the "adverse" competitive effects of private 
insurance providers on the national health insurance system. 
Park added the MHW and FSS are the main players that will 
ultimately hammer out a common position that requires the 
RRB's approval.  Park did not cite a timeline for approval of 
the regulation but promised to keep the AmCham and Embassy 
informed of developments. 
 
MANDATORY HEALTH INSURANCE 
-------------------------- 
¶8.  (SBU)  Overby observed that foreigners working in Korea 
were required to join the national health insurance program, 
effective January 1, 2006.  Up to that date, foreigners 
residing here were able to voluntarily opt out of the 
program.  Overby requested that the RCC consider reinstating 
the earlier opt-out provisions upon proof of coverage by 
another insurance provider.  She noted this solution would 
address the ROKG's concern that many of its 300 thousand 
foreign "guest workers" from developing countries do not have 
adequate coverage.  At the same time, it would enhance 
Korea's prospects of becoming a regional business hub by 
holding down costs for major corporation employees (e.g., 
GM-Daewoo and Citigroup) who must now maintain two insurance 
plans for their expatriate staff.  Park promised to look into 
this issue with the relevant authorities. 
 
LEAR CORPORATION AND PUSAN 
--------------------------- 
¶9.  (SBU)  Overby raised the issue of Lear Corporation's 
long-standing effort to set up a car seat manufacturing plant 
in the Pusan Free Economic Zone (FEZ) where many other 
auto-parts makers are locating.  She noted that the ROKG 
Bureau of Statistics currently categorizes car seats as 
furniture rather than auto parts, thereby preventing Lear 
from satisfying FEZ investment requirements in auto parts. 
Park said he would pursue this request (in his internal 
discussions with his colleague he used the word "ridiculous") 
and acknowledged the barriers it posed for a new factory that 
could potentially employ hundreds of people. 
 
DRIVERS LICENSES 
---------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  Finally, Overby observed that foreigners are 
required to surrender their foreign drivers licenses when 
obtaining a Korean license without taking a driving test. 
The rule makes living more difficult for foreign residents 
traveling back home on holiday or business.  Before each 
departure, they must pick up their foreign licenses from the 
Road Traffic Safety Authority (RTSA).  Park committed to 
discussing this request with the RTSA. 
 
EXPEDITED PROCESS 
----------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU)  As the meeting concluded, Park said while up till 
now, the RRB had received submissions of specific regulatory 
issues from the AmCham on a quarterly basis, in order to 
expedite the process, the RRB would now be open to receiving 
specific AmCham submissions continuously throughout the year. 
 Overby thanked Park for this change, and for the session 
generally, and noted that AmCham looked forward to continued 
close cooperation with the RRB to develop this into a 
fruitful channel to resolve regulatory issues of concern to 
U.S. investors in Korea. 
VERSHBOW