Demystifying the Impasse of the Korea-Japan FTA: The Pivotal Role of Big Business Associations in S. Koreas Trade Policy

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find the underlying factor that causes the impasse of the Korea-Japan FTA negotiation. This was to undertake a theoretically motivated empirical analysis of the Korea-Japan FTA in light of the inability of statist and systemic approaches to fully explain the stalemate. The fact that FKI led coalition of business associations changed its position regarding the FTA is critical in understanding what eventually resulted. It is precisely this outcome that the societal approach is equipped to deal with and analyse successfully.