USTR to hold public hearings this week on foreign manufacturing practices tied to excess capacity
Published: 05 May. 2026, 11:49
Updated: 05 May. 2026, 14:06
![United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks during a House Committee on Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies subcommittee hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on April 16. [UPI/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/05/05/34f5458c-3db6-45eb-a15d-ed301a83ced2.jpg)
United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks during a House Committee on Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies subcommittee hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on April 16. [UPI/YONHAP]
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said on Monday that it will hold public hearings this week on its trade investigations into Korea, China, Japan and 13 other countries related to “structural” excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors.
The hearings are set to take place at the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington from Tuesday through Friday, as the office has been carrying out the investigations under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, which could result in tariffs or other measures.
Section 301 is a provision that allows the USTR to investigate unfair foreign trade practices on a country-by-country basis. The investigations were launched in March, as the administration is pushing to replace the invalidated country-specific “reciprocal” tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February.
On the first day of the hearings, a Korean official plans to explain Seoul's position on the trade investigations.
The official is expected to underscore that Korea's industrial structure is anchored in market economy principles and that voluntary and proactive restructuring efforts are being made in sectors affected by global excess capacity, such as petrochemicals and steel.
Last month, the USTR held public hearings related to separate investigations into 60 economies, including Korea, China and Japan, which it is carrying out to determine whether their governments have taken sufficient steps to ban the importation of goods produced with forced labor.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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