Korean case analysis of compelling arbitration in the United States

Chang, Byung Youn,Welch, David L.,Kim, Yong Kil The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2018 중재연구 Vol.28 No.1

Korean businesses engaging in transactions with U.S. entities are increasingly favoring arbitration clauses to address unexpected disputes. How best ought the parties' arbitration contractual terms be drafted to avoid lengthy, protracted and expensive legal disputes? Authors examine the public policy favoring arbitration through the U.S. Federal Arbitration Act. Korean litigants seeking a "Motion to Compel Arbitration" rely on arbitration clauses designed to address four factors U.S. courts use to evaluate the enforceability of arbitration contract clauses. What role does U.S. state court jurisdiction hinder or help Korean businesses contracting with U.S. business entities located within certain boundaries? What is the effect of an arbitration clause that designates the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board in Seoul to arbitrate? All cases analyzed entail Korean business entities. Eleven cases demonstrate the results of seeking motions to compel arbitration in U.S. courts. Three cases illustrate motions to compel arbitration drafted to use the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board in Seoul. The results provide Korean businesses and legal practitioners insight into addressing the specific goals of including contractual arbitration clauses to enhance their international commercial interests in the United States.

Analysis, Recognition and Enforcement Procedures of Foreign Arbitral Awards in the United States

Chang, Byung Youn,Welch, David L.,Kim, Yong Kil The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2017 중재연구 Vol.27 No.3

Korean businesses, and their legal representatives, have observed the improvements of enforcement of commercial judgments through arbitration over traditional collections litigation in U.S. Courts-due to quicker proceedings, exceptional cost savings and more predictable outcomes-in attaching assets within U.S. jurisdictions. But how are the 2016 interim measures implemented by the Arbitration Act of Korea utilized to avoid jurisdictional and procedure pitfalls of enforcement proceedings in the Federal Courts of the United States? Authors examine the necessary prerequisites of the U.S. Federal Arbitration Act as adopted through the New York Convention, to which Korea and the U.S. are signatories, as distinguished from the Panama Convention. Five common U.S. arbitration institutions address U.S. "domestic" disputes, preempting U.S. state law arbitrations, while this article focuses on U.S. enforcement of "international" arbitration awards. Seeking U.S. recognition and enforcement of Korean arbitral awards necessitates avoiding common defenses involving due process, public policy or documentary formality challenges. Provisional and conservatory injunctive relief measures are explored. A variety of U.S. cases involving Korean litigants are examined to illustrate the legal challenges involving non?domestic arbitral awards, foreign arbitral awards and injunctive relief. Suggestions aimed toward further research are focused on typical Korean business needs such as motions to confirm foreign arbitration awards, enforce such awards or motions to compel arbitration.

A Study on the Development of the Arbitration System based on the Prosecution and Police Investigation Mediation Right

Nam, Seon-Mo The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2018 중재연구 Vol.28 No.3

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the development of the arbitration system, such as the establishment of the arbitration industry and expanding the scope of arbitration fields. The solution method of arbitration differs greatly from that of the court's trial process. This can be seen in the way of autonomous conflict resolution. Therefore, the role of arbitrator is a very important function. In this sense, it seems necessary to establish a professional arbitrator system. Now the Arbitration Promotion Act has been enacted and interest in the arbitration industry is also rising. It is necessary to deal effectively with new incidents according to changes in the legal environment internationally. In order to do this, it is imperative to train professional arbitrators. A training plan for arbitration manager to assist this is now under consideration. The coming of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology will simply stop the uniform way of determining winners by lawsuits. Even in new companies entering new markets as well as overseas companies, assistance from arbitration experts is indispensable in order to effectively deal with international trade disputes that will develop in the future. In addition to fostering the arbitration industry, it is necessary to train experts in domestic and foreign arbitration and arbitration practitioners to provide high-quality legal services. For these human resource development measures, we will explore the subject and procedural methods. The Arbitrators Association should concentrate on these matters and be cautious when focusing on the training of arbitrators and arbitration managers through the selection process. The Arbitrators Association must strengthen the level of new education (designation / consignment). Measures must be taken in order to grant such procedures as well as subsequent steps.

Recent changes to the Korean Arbitration Act and its Comparison with Singapore: Korea's Potential to Become an Arbitration Hub

Kim, Jae-Hyun,Hopkins, Bryan E. The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2016 중재연구 Vol.26 No.3

International arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism in Asia is growing in popularity. Singapore has long been acknowledged as a regional arbitration center but Korea is now facing an increased demand as an arbitration center as well. As Singapore competes with Hong Kong and other international arbitration centers, and as Korea tries to become an alternative to Singapore, both Singapore and Korea have updated their arbitral laws and arbitration rules to reflect the current international arbitration trends. This paper examines the recent changes in the arbitration laws of Singapore and Korea, with an emphasis on recent changes in Korean arbitration laws that are designed to increase Korea's popularity as a regional arbitration center. Though Korea's reputation as an arbitration center is increasing, it is still not viewed as a major arbitration service provider. It is against this backdrop that Korea's international arbitration laws and rules will be viewed, with suggested changes to increase Korea's reputation as not only a regional hub but a center of international arbitration.

Jurisdiction of the Arbitral Tribunal in the Case of Multiple Contracts

Rodner, James Otis,Marcano, Angelica The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2014 중재연구 Vol.24 No.3

The foundation of the arbitration jurisdiction is the arbitration agreement entered into by the parties to a contract. Usually, only the signatory parties to a contract and the disputes arising from a contract that includes an arbitration clause or to which the arbitration clause relates are the ones that can be submitted to arbitration. This article discusses some of the arguments for extending the arbitration clause in complex arbitrations, that is, in those cases where there are more than two parties, more than two contracts or more than two parties and contracts. Particularly, this paper addresses multiple contract arbitration when the contracts are related. One of the arguments used by the arbitral tribunal for the extension of jurisdiction is the existence of a link between the contracts. Additional arguments include implied consent, participation in the negotiation and performance of a contract and good faith. The article also discusses some of the typical cases of linked contracts in many civil law countries, such as subcontracts, third party beneficiaries and standard terms of contracts, from which arbitral jurisdictions problems may arise. Finally, special attention is given to Article 14 of the 2008 Peruvian Arbitration Law as the first provision in an arbitration law in Latin America that extends the arbitration agreement to non-signatory parties using for this a mixed approach.

A Study on the Amended Arbitration Law of Mongolia

Woo, Jae-Hyong,Lee, Min Kyu The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2017 중재연구 Vol.27 No.3

Mongolian government enacted the Foreign Trade Arbitration Law to modernize the practice of commercial arbitration. Nevertheless, the Foreign Trade Arbitration Trade Law fell short on a number of fronts and arbitration itself remained a distant second option to litigation within Mongolia. Law on Arbitration of 2003 aimed to modernize the Mongolian arbitration framework so that it would mirror the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. At the same time, the Law on Arbitration 2003 made a conscious decision to deviate from international norms with respect to certain aspects in order to accommodate for the unique circumstances and characteristics of Mongolia. For example, unlike its UNCITRAL counterpart, the Law on Arbitration of 2003 did not include an exhaustive list of grounds for refusing the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards. In that sense, the Law on Arbitration of 2003 was a resounding success and a drastic improvement on the Foreign Trade Arbitration Law. These factors convinced the Mongolian government to once again revise its arbitration law. This process, which started in 2008 with the help of foreign law firms and institutions, ultimately culminated in the Law of Arbitration of 2017. The chief objective of the Law of Arbitration of 2017 was to more closely adhere to preexisting international norms on arbitration such as the Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, and there is no question that Mongolia has succeeded in doing so. This article thus concludes by explaining some of the noteworthy improvements made by the 2017 revisions, and by noting that Mongolia is now equipped with a truly international legal framework for arbitration.

Revising the Korean Arbitration Act From a Civil Law Jurisdiction Perspective: The Example of the French Arbitration Reform

Ahdab, Jalal El The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2014 중재연구 Vol.24 No.3

In France, arbitration, both domestic and international, has recently been subjected to a major reform. This article discusses the content of the 2011 reform and its aftermath, while putting into perspective the current arbitration act in South Korea, an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction that contemplates reforming its own law. The two legal systems are characterized by their concern for efficiency and rationalization of the arbitration proceedings, through the codification of essential principles previously established by case law and through the promotion of the independence of this ADR vis-$\grave{a}$-vis state courts. The efficiency consideration is strengthened at every stage of the proceedings: from the arbitration agreement often considered valid and rarely challenged, through the proceedings for annulment, recognition and enforcement of the award, up to the judicial assistance of the French supporting judge towards the actual arbitral proceedings. Finally, new concerns are emerging: the increase of transparency and the arbitrability of disputes in some uncertain fields of law.

Overview of Alternate Dispute Resolution with Special Reference to Arbitration Laws in Pakistan

Won, Sung-Kwon The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2013 중재연구 Vol.23 No.3

Arbitration is one of the prominent and widely practiced forms of Alternate Dispute Resolution. Different countries are strengthening their alternate dispute resolution mechanism, and focusing on arbitrations is a very important edge. Pakistan is in the phase of developing effective laws and policies to strengthen the process of arbitration. The Pakistan Arbitration Act of 1940 is very important to discuss and along with domestic laws the applicability of the international conventions must be discussed. This paper analyzed the situation of arbitration laws in Pakistan with respect to both the domestic laws and international laws applicable in the country.

Study on Drafting Appropriate Dispute Resolution Clause in International Contract

Lee, Se-In The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2019 중재연구 Vol.29 No.3

There are various factors to consider when parties to an international agreement draft a dispute resolution clause in their written contract. These factors can be classified into two categories. The first category is about the parties and the nature of the contract, such as the parties' places of business and whether the contract contains a simple transaction or has a complicated nature. The second category is about the applicable rules of the parties' places of business or performance such as the private international law, service of process rules, and enforcement of court judgment and arbitration award rules. When parties to an international contract agree to a litigation, they normally choose a forum court and a governing law. In selecting a forum court and a governing law, the parties must consider private international law, service of process rules, and enforcement of judgement rules of candidate forums. In case the parties agree to an arbitration, they have to choose between institutional arbitration and ad hoc arbitration. For ad hoc arbitration, parties still need to further agree on which arbitration rules to use, and in which place the arbitration shall take place. Mediation involves a similar kind of decision as with arbitration. Traditionally, national courts of the parties' places of business have been used as litigation forums in dispute resolution clauses but, recently, arbitration is being increasingly employed as an alternative dispute resolution method in international contracts. Moreover, there have been international efforts to utilize mediation as a dispute resolution method in international commercial issues. Rather than simply taking a dispute resolution clause provided in a sample written contract, parties to an international contract must carefully consider various relevant factors in order to insert a dispute resolution clause which will work well for a particular contract.

Arbitration in Egypt in the Realm of the Arab Spring

Selim, Ismail The Korean Association of Arbitration Studies 2013 중재연구 Vol.23 No.3

Egypt has gone through a major metamorphosis following the Egyptian Revolution that began on 25 January 2011. The aim of this article is to analyze the influence of the aforementioned metamorphoses on the Egyptian Arbitration Law and Practice and to shed light on the recent developments of the latter. Whilst positive legislative amendments have been recently achieved with regards to enforcement of arbitral awards, it is crystal clear that the January 2011 Revolution has negatively impacted the jurisprudence of the Administrative Court of the Conseil d'Etat which has annulled several arbitration clauses enshrined in contracts related to privatization. However, save for disputes arising from administrative contracts, Egypt has been and shall remain a friendly seat of Arbitration as it possesses an arbitration-friendly legislation, its Ordinary Judicial Courts are familiarized with international arbitration practice and it has a prominent and famous arbitration Centre.