This report begins with a discussion of the complex supply chains that now underlie automotive production. It then explains the procedures established in the KORUS FTA for determining whether an automotive product qualifies as being of South Korean or United States origin and compares those procedures to the rules established in the free trade agreement between South Korea and the European Union. Finally, it discusses whether the domestic content rules in the KORUS FTA could enable circumvention of the rules of origin by allowing automotive components produced in North Korea’s Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC) to enter the United States duty-free in assembled motor vehicles, and thereby receive the benefits provided by the agreement.

Interview with Jeffrey Gill, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served as a staff sergeant from 1995-2002 in Korea and Saudi Arabia. Gill describes his time as a hazmat technician, as well as the most and least memorable moments of his military career.