RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS20/1
G/L/33
ORGANIZATION G/SPS/W/35
G/TBT/D/4
G/MA/3
G/AG/W/14
22November 1995
(95-3655)
Original: English
KOREA -MEASURES CONCERNING THE BOTTLED WATER
Request forconsultations byCanada
Thefollowing communication, dated 8November 1995, fromthePermanent Mission ofCanada
tothePermanent Mission oftheRepublic ofKorea, iscirculated attherequest ofthePermanent Mission
ofCanada inaccordance withArticle 4:4oftheDSU.
_______________
TheGovernment ofCanada requests consultations withtheGovernment oftheRepublic of
Korea pursuant toArticle XXII oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, Article 11of
theAgreement ontheApplication ofSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures, andArticle 14ofthe
Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade, regarding certain lawsandregulations oftheRepublic of
Korea concerning bottled water. These lawsandregulations include, butarenotlimited to,theDrinking
Water Management LawandthePublic Notice onStandards, Specifications andLabelling Criteria
ofBottled Water (No.1995-43).
Twoprovisions ofthePublic Notice onStandards, Specifications andLabelling Criteria of
Bottled Water areofparticular concern toCanada. Article 8establishes thattheshelf-life ofbottle
water is6months from itsproduction date. Article 3provides thatphysical water treatments, such
asprecipitation, filtration, aeration andultraviolet disinfection arepermitted, butanyuseofchemical
treatment isprohibited. Officials oftheRepublic ofKorea haveinformed Canadian officials that
disinfection byozonation isaprohibited chemical treatment.
TheGovernment ofCanada isoftheviewthattheselawsandregulations areinconsistent with
theobligations oftheRepublic ofKorea under theAgreement ontheApplication ofSanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures, theGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994 andtheAgreement on
Technical Barriers toTrade. Theprovisions oftheseagreements withwhich theselawsandregulations
areinconsistent include, butarenotlimited to,thefollowing:
./.WT/DS20/1
G/L/33
G/SPS/W/35
G/TBT/D/4
G/MA/3
G/AG/W/14
Page2
(i) AgreementontheApplicationofSanitaryandPhytosanitaryMeasures,Articles2and5;
(ii) General Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, Article IIIandArticle XI;and
(iii) Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade, Article 2.
TheGovernment ofCanada isofthefurther viewthatthese lawsandregulations nullify or
impair thebenefits accruing toCanada directly orindirectly under thecitedagreements.
Inaccordance withArticle 4oftheUnderstanding onRules andProcedures Governing the
Settlement ofDisputes, theGovernment ofCanada requests consultations withtheGovernment ofthe
Republic ofKorea todiscuss thismatter withtheintention ofreaching amutually satisfactory result.
TheGovernment ofCanada welcomes anysuggestions theGovernment oftheRepublic ofKorea may
wishtomake concerning dates onwhich theconsultations could takeplace within thirty daysfrom
thedateofreceipt ofthisrequest.