A Study on the Direction of Digital Trade Policy: Focusing on the Relationship between Korea and the ASEAN

The expansion of protectionism not only causes uncertainty and instability on trade, yet also forewarns the end of globalization. In the meantime, the growth of digital trade is somewhat fortunate, and the recent pandemic accelerated such tendency. The presence of appropriate and timely regulation for digital trade is desperate, but it is not filled by the WTO, but instead, through FTAs and DTAs. Korea is one of the most active nations in this area, dealing with the ASEAN countries that are very attractive partners in digital trade both geopolitically and economically. The study investigates the relationship between Korea and the ASEAN nations on digital trade from the three specific perspectives: customs duties and national treatment, data transfer and localization, and finally, trust-building in digital environment. As a result, Singapore is so far found to be the nation, able to provide the most stable and predictable digital atmosphere to Korea and the trade rules between the two suggest meaningful implications to other ASEAN parties for their future negotiations on digital trade with Korea.