Project

A. General Information

1. Title

Republic of Korea’s Steel Imports Approved for the Electronic Certification System (eCERT)

2. Status of the project
Operating
3. Implementation period of the project/service:
From
2024
To
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5. Geographical coverage
Bilateral
Participating countries: Republic of Korea, United States of America
Hub Point: United States of America
6. Participating agencies/entities of the project/service:
a. Development stage
Lead agencies/entities
Korea Customs Service
Other participating agencies/entities
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Republic of Korea Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
b. Operational stage
Lead agencies/entities (op)
Korea Customs Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Other participating agencies/entities (op)
--
7. Main stakeholders/beneficiaries of the project
Customs
Other Government Agencies (OGAs)
8. Business process category of the project
Regulatory/official control

B. Lessons Learned

9. Summary description of the project/service
Brief Summary

The export certification requirement for imports of steel products of the Republic of Korea that are subject to an absolute quota will be collected through the Electronic Certification System. The United States CBP adopted the eCERT system for its import process of steel products from South Korea.



 

a. Objective(s)

The new government-to-government system reduces processing times, improves the security of both exports and imports and delivers enhanced quota compliance and enforcement for both the United States and the Republic of Korea. CBP administers and enforces more than 2,100 import quotas which regulate the amounts of commodities that can enter the United States to promote fair and regulated trade. With the deployment of the program for the Republic of Korea steel quotas, the Electronic Certification System will digitally transmit export certificates to CBP on approximately $7 billion in annual steel quota imports to ensure that only authorized parties have access to the quota.

b. Business need for the project (background)

Improving security and compliance of the US-Korea quota system for steel through digitalization.

c. Business process covered*

Exchange of export certificates to enforce quotas.

d. Overall architecture and functionalities*
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e. Relevant document/figure
--
10. Documents and data exchanged via the project

Export certificates

11. Data models/databases, proprietary solutions, hybrid approaches
--
12. Main challenges faced during the project
--
13. Lessons learned from the project

eCERT is an important component of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and represents CBP’s innovative efforts to modernize trade documentation. The transition to electronic certification offers real-time certificate updates, secure and confidential data transmission and a robust defense against certificate fraud. The program precisely tracks certificate usage and allows the Republic of Korea to monitor export compliance.   CBP encourages other nations to consider how adopting the program could transform their trade practices, making them more efficient, secure and transparent.

14. Main benefit(s) of the project
Enhanced regulatory compliance*
Transaction Time savings
14A. Elaborations/detailed description on benefits gained
--
15. Technical/financial/capacity building/other assistance
--
16. Future plan for expansion of the project
--
17. Other information or relevant references on the project
--
18. Relevant document regarding the project
--

C. Relevant Standards

20. Electronic message standard
20A. Electronic message standard supporting the project
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20B. Type of standard for electronic message applied for the project
--
21. Technical communication standard
21A. Technical communication standard supporting the project
--
21B. Type of technical communication standard applied for the project
--
22. Security-related standards*
22A. Security-related standard supporting the project
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22B. Type of security-related standard applied for the project
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23. Other Technical Information
23A. Interface developed for data exchange with an internal system
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23B. Other technical implementation information
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