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Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Contribution] KCS steps up to navigate ‘fog of war' in global tariffs
Carl von Clausewitz, the German military theorist, introduced the concept of the "Fog of War" in his seminal work "On War." He described war as a realm of unpredictable uncertainty, where quick and accurate judgment by commanders is crucial amid incomplete information and unforeseen variables. Today, the rapidly shifting US tariff policies and the responses from major economies have created a global trade environment reminiscent of Clausewitz's fog-covered battlefield. In a global economy where visibility is limited and uncertainty prevails, Korean businesses must work to reduce unpredictability while strengthening their strategic decision-making and judgment capabilities. In this context, a clear understanding of tariff classification and rules of origin becomes a crucial first step in navigating the uncertainty sparked by President Trump's tariff policies. Tariff classification is the process of assigning serial numbers to imported and exported goods based on standards set by the World Customs Organization (WCO). These numbers not only determine applicable tariff rates but also dictate various import and export requirements. While WCO provides a unified framework, individual countries often interpret and apply these standards differently. As a result, the same product can be assigned different codes in different countries. Since March, the US has imposed a 25 percent tariff on certain items, including steel and aluminum derivatives. The challenge arises because the US applies these tariffs using its own classification system, the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). For Korean companies accustomed to Korea's classification system, determining whether their products fall under US tariff targets is not always clear-cut. As tariff differences grow sharper depending on product classification, businesses now face greater pressure to ensure accurate and strategic classification of their goods. The importance of rules of origin has also risen significantly under the evolving US tariff regime. Under the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, product origin has traditionally been determined using rules such as the change in tariff classification criterion or value content criterion. However, recent US measures have shifted this to the Substantial Transformation Criterion, even for items subject to bilateral tariffs, regardless of FTA rules. Under this standard, US customs authorities determine origin based on whether a product has undergone substantial changes in name, use, or character. The lack of clear, consistent case rulings makes it extremely difficult for businesses to predict outcomes. Moreover, Korean companies may suffer indirect harm — such as customs delays or post-entry verifications — if products from other countries with higher tariff rates are fraudulently labeled as Korean to evade duties. In response to such uncertainty, the Korea Customs Service established the KCS Response Headquarters for Global Tariff Changes and Domestic Industry Protection (K-GTR H.Q.s) on March 28. This task force goes beyond simply providing information. It functions as a comprehensive, proactive unit managing international cooperation, preemptive customs and tax risk assessments, close business support, and crackdowns on illegal circumvention of trade laws. Since its launch, the K-GTR H.Q.s has prioritized resolving uncertainties surrounding tariff classifications and rules of origin while supporting corporate decision-making. It has swiftly distributed correlation charts between Korean and US tariff codes for key items such as steel, aluminum derivatives, automobiles, and auto parts. To further ease classification-related confusion, it introduced fast-track pre-ruling procedures and expanded consultation services with the US tariff classification center. In the area of origin rules, the headquarters has begun immediate information sharing on non-preferential rules of origin and case rulings that can assist business planning. Customized consulting and preventive inspections are also underway to help firms comply. To prevent Korean exports from being harmed by falsely labeled foreign goods, the Korea Customs Service is intensifying inspections — particularly in cooperation with US Customs and Border Protection and industry associations — on critical sectors like steel and furniture, which are vulnerable to origin fraud. Looking ahead, the Korea Customs Service aims to continue serving as a reliable guide for Korean exporters amid the turbulent waves of global tariff conflicts. It plans to provide ongoing classification information for US-targeted sectors such as semiconductors and pharmaceuticals and to roll out notification services for potential violations of origin rules, particularly for companies handling steel and aluminum derivative products. Waiting for the fog to lift will not lead to a path forward. Someone must carry the light and lead the way. The Korea Customs Service pledges to be that light, helping Korean businesses move forward with confidence, even through the haze of uncertainty.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Opinion - A ‘Return of the Jedi' moment in Ukraine
Cue the Star Wars theme music. In Ukraine, we just witnessed an epic real-life fiery version of the 'Return of the Jedi' movie. Of the nine principles of war described by Carl Von Clausewitz in his book 'On War,' surprise often yields the biggest dividend. It is achieved by 'strik[ing] the enemy at a time, place, and manner for which he or she is unprepared.' Ukraine did just that on Sunday with an operation code-named 'Spider's Web.' Ukrainian special forces launched drone strikes against four strategic Russian air bases — Belaya, Olenya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo — that spanned the length and breadth of Russia. More than 40 Russian military aircraft were reportedly struck. Operational video shows two Tupolev 'Bear' Tu-95 strategic bombers burning. They were likely destroyed. These are the same type of Russian aircraft that Vladimir Putin used last Thursday to launch missiles against Ukrainian civilian population centers across Ukraine. Notably, six of those bombers came from the Olenya Airbase in northern Russian in Murmansk near the border with Finland. Ukraine's reach is now just as deep as Putin's ballistic missiles. Something Kim Jong-un — Russia's Arsenals of Evil partner — must now factor in too. Belaya is only 2,000 kilometers from Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Make no mistake. These Ukrainian deep strikes — ingeniously conducted by infiltrating drones inside of Russia while using Putin's own cargo trucks to launch them — are a military game-changer on many levels. Yet again, Ukrainian innovation won the day. Despite President Trump's chiding of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in February that 'you don't have the cards,' he apparently did. Zelensky and his generals delivered a stunning blow to roughly 34 percent of the Russian strategic bomber fleet responsible for launching cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities. Beyond retribution for the deaths of Ukrainian men, women and children, Zelensky also demonstrated through this operation that Kyiv has the capacity for interdiction and deep strikes to conventionally defeat Russian forces in Ukraine — and to expel them from their occupied cities and oblasts. They also portend the type of strategic threats Brussels and Washington must be able to defend against in the future. Presently, NATO — especially its civilian population centers and military bases — is highly vulnerable to similar types of drone attacks. Indeed, a sobering Revolution in Military Affairs was showcased by Ukraine on Sunday. Trump's proposed 'Golden Dome' has been derided by many as a bridge too far, much like President Ronald Reagan's now prophetic 'Star Wars' missile defense shield. But it is now suddenly defensive took very much in need. If we desire to buy time to build and deploy it not just against Russia but a rising China as well, then the White House needs to embrace Ukraine winning. We have long warned that Kyiv cannot win if the U.S. prevents the Ukraine from attacking targets on Russian soil using Western-made and supplied weapon systems and munitions. Former President Joe Biden repeatedly made this mistake throughout his term. Defeating the weapon system from its point of origin rather than shooting down the individual missile over the skies of Ukraine — as aptly described by retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges as 'killing the archer rather than trying to knock down all of the arrows' — is the only way to put an end to Putin's deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilians. Defense of the skies is critical as well. The European Sky Shield initiative, as well as the creation and sustainment of an integrated, layered air defense system similar to the one Israel employed to defeat Iranian ballistic missile and drones attacks in April and October 2024 are critical parts of a No-Fly zone. Team Trump and NATO can now rectify that. Ukraine just dramatically exposed Putin's Achilles' Heel — and the White House can now exploit Russia's weakness and force Putin to concede defeat in his now three-year plus so-called 'Special Military Operation' against Ukraine. That means Washington, London and Brussels embracing joint interdiction operations and deep strike operations to convince the Kremlin it cannot win, much less sustain, the war Putin started in Ukraine. Russia has two great strengths. The first is through mass via infantry and artillery, applying relentless pressure despite a cost of 989,700 casualties and counting. The second is to instill fear in the civilian population by targeting and destroying villages, towns and cities. Interdiction, however, defeats Russian forces and their supply lines long before they arrive on the Ukrainian battlefields. Deep strikes attack Russia's ability to fund and sustain its war effort, including curtailing the strategic effects of bombing Ukrainian cities. The result is a siege warfare type of engagement, whereby an isolated Russian army in Ukraine is rendered incapable to continue fighting. Sunday's strikes against Russian targets exposed a critical vulnerability for the West to leverage. Putin thought he had all the cards going into the Istanbul 2.0 negotiations, but they have been lost. Still, this cannot be a one-and-done engagement — it must be sustained to force the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine. Significantly, Ukraine just demonstrated that it will not wait for Washington and Brussels to act. And if the history is any indication — as with Kherson, Belgorod, Kursk, and the Patriot missile ambushes — momentum will be lost in fear of further antagonizing Russia. The Jedi impact on Putin was immediate. Russian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was suddenly the one without any cards to play during the Monday meeting in Istanbul. The session ended with Ukraine on the offensive, 'offer[ing] a complete ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners of war in an all-for-all format, bringing back the children abducted by Russia, and the release of all civilians from Russian captivity.' Putin, essentially playing the movie role of the Galactic Emperor, remains silent. A significant amount of his strategic bomber force was destroyed or damaged by an unseen force of daring Ukrainian Jedi. Sometimes, in real life, the fictional Luke Skywalkers win. Zelensky and his fellow Ukrainians just did. It is time Team Trump and NATO put an end to this movie and roll the credits on Putin and his 'special military operation' in Ukraine. Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan E. Sweet served 30 years as an Army intelligence officer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
A ‘Return of the Jedi' moment in Ukraine
Cue the Star Wars theme music. In Ukraine, we just witnessed an epic real-life fiery version of the 'Return of the Jedi' movie. Of the nine principles of war described by Carl Von Clausewitz in his book 'On War,' surprise often yields the biggest dividend. It is achieved by 'strik[ing] the enemy at a time, place, and manner for which he or she is unprepared.' Ukraine did just that on Sunday with an operation code-named 'Spider's Web.' Ukrainian special forces launched drone strikes against four strategic Russian air bases — Belaya, Olenya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo — that spanned the length and breadth of Russia. More than 40 Russian military aircraft were reportedly struck. Operational video shows two Tupolev 'Bear' Tu-95 strategic bombers burning. They were likely destroyed. These are the same type of Russian aircraft that Vladimir Putin used last Thursday to launch missiles against Ukrainian civilian population centers across Ukraine. Notably, six of those bombers came from the Olenya Airbase in northern Russian in Murmansk near the border with Finland. Ukraine's reach is now just as deep as Putin's ballistic missiles. Something Kim Jong-un — Russia's Arsenals of Evil partner — must now factor in too. Belaya is only 2,000 kilometers from Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Make no mistake. These Ukrainian deep strikes — ingeniously conducted by infiltrating drones inside of Russia while using Putin's own cargo trucks to launch them — are a military game-changer on many levels. Yet again, Ukrainian innovation won the day. Despite President Trump's chiding of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in February that 'you don't have the cards,' he apparently did. Zelensky and his generals delivered a stunning blow to roughly 34 percent of the Russian strategic bomber fleet responsible for launching cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities. Beyond retribution for the deaths of Ukrainian men, women and children, Zelensky also demonstrated through this operation that Kyiv has the capacity for interdiction and deep strikes to conventionally defeat Russian forces in Ukraine — and to expel them from their occupied cities and oblasts. They also portend the type of strategic threats Brussels and Washington must be able to defend against in the future. Presently, NATO — especially its civilian population centers and military bases — is highly vulnerable to similar types of drone attacks. Indeed, a sobering Revolution in Military Affairs was showcased by Ukraine on Sunday. Trump's proposed 'Golden Dome' has been derided by many as a bridge too far, much like President Ronald Reagan's now prophetic 'Star Wars' missile defense shield. But it is now suddenly defensive took very much in need. If we desire to buy time to build and deploy it not just against Russia but a rising China as well, then the White House needs to embrace Ukraine winning. We have long warned that Kyiv cannot win if the U.S. prevents the Ukraine from attacking targets on Russian soil using Western-made and supplied weapon systems and munitions. Former President Joe Biden repeatedly made this mistake throughout his term. Defeating the weapon system from its point of origin rather than shooting down the individual missile over the skies of Ukraine — as aptly described by retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges as 'killing the archer rather than trying to knock down all of the arrows' — is the only way to put an end to Putin's deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilians. Defense of the skies is critical as well. The European Sky Shield initiative, as well as the creation and sustainment of an integrated, layered air defense system similar to the one Israel employed to defeat Iranian ballistic missile and drones attacks in April and October 2024 are critical parts of a No-Fly zone. Team Trump and NATO can now rectify that. Ukraine just dramatically exposed Putin's Achilles' Heel — and the White House can now exploit Russia's weakness and force Putin to concede defeat in his now three-year plus so-called 'Special Military Operation' against Ukraine. That means Washington, London and Brussels embracing joint interdiction operations and deep strike operations to convince the Kremlin it cannot win, much less sustain, the war Putin started in Ukraine. Russia has two great strengths. The first is through mass via infantry and artillery, applying relentless pressure despite a cost of 989,700 casualties and counting. The second is to instill fear in the civilian population by targeting and destroying villages, towns and cities. Interdiction, however, defeats Russian forces and their supply lines long before they arrive on the Ukrainian battlefields. Deep strikes attack Russia's ability to fund and sustain its war effort, including curtailing the strategic effects of bombing Ukrainian cities. The result is a siege warfare type of engagement, whereby an isolated Russian army in Ukraine is rendered incapable to continue fighting. Sunday's strikes against Russian targets exposed a critical vulnerability for the West to leverage. Putin thought he had all the cards going into the Istanbul 2.0 negotiations, but they have been lost. Still, this cannot be a one-and-done engagement — it must be sustained to force the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine. Significantly, Ukraine just demonstrated that it will not wait for Washington and Brussels to act. And if the history is any indication — as with Kherson, Belgorod, Kursk, and the Patriot missile ambushes — momentum will be lost in fear of further antagonizing Russia. The Jedi impact on Putin was immediate. Russian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was suddenly the one without any cards to play during the Monday meeting in Istanbul. The session ended with Ukraine on the offensive, 'offer[ing] a complete ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners of war in an all-for-all format, bringing back the children abducted by Russia, and the release of all civilians from Russian captivity.' Putin, essentially playing the movie role of the Galactic Emperor, remains silent. A significant amount of his strategic bomber force was destroyed or damaged by an unseen force of daring Ukrainian Jedi. Sometimes, in real life, the fictional Luke Skywalkers win. Zelensky and his fellow Ukrainians just did. It is time Team Trump and NATO put an end to this movie and roll the credits on Putin and his 'special military operation' in Ukraine. Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan E. Sweet served 30 years as an Army intelligence officer.
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
This word means: Fog of war
WHY NOW? As tensions flare up between India and Pakistan, analysts and observers have increasingly invoked the phrase 'fog of war' to describe the confusion and chaos surrounding recent developments. It has also been used to describe the widespread mis/disinformation on social media platforms and even some sections of the media. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Phrases and Fables (2005), the phrase is used to describe the 'complexity of military conflicts'. It attributes the phrase to Carl von Clausewitz, a military general and war theorist in the kingdom of Prussia (comprising modern-day Germany and other parts of Central Europe). It is believed to be a paraphrased version of what he wrote in his book On War (1832): 'War is the realm of uncertainty; three quarters of the factors on which action in war is based are wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty.' Clausewitz introduced the concept of 'friction' to describe the physical and psychological obstacles that complicate warfare — an idea that later evolved into what we now call the 'fog of war'. The exact phrase was first used in 1896 by Lonsdale Augustus Hale, a British Colonel, to describe the 'state of ignorance' among commanders over ground realities, including the strength and position of foes and allies. The phrase was subsequently adopted by the US armed forces to refer to operational challenges that could impair the decision-making capabilities of leaders, including but not limited to information warfare and intelligence gaps. Analysts have used the phrase to refer to the broader uncertainty around the current round of India-Pakistan tensions — including how and when they will subside. Tensions rose in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, where terrorists gunned down 26 civilians. India responded with targeted strikes on the intervening night of May 6 and 7, which struck nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Pakistan then retaliated with an escalation in ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and air strikes in the northern and western frontiers of India. On Thursday, the Ministry of Defence stated that it had neutralised the air defence system in Lahore in response to Pakistani aggression. Later in the night, Indian forces thwarted a swarm of Pakistani drones and missiles that targeted military establishments in border states. As tensions escalate, so does the battle of optics. Experts have repeatedly warned against mis/disinformation circulating online. Multiple social media handles have been sharing and amplifying unsubstantiated claims, including AI-generated videos, misleading captions on re-purposed old videos and images, and fake news. The Press Information Bureau's (PIB's) fact-check unit has been flagging unverified claims, such as the closure of ATMs and a ban on entry to all Indian airports. Given the lack of information amid the chaos of attacks and retaliation, it is impossible for detectors to flag each of these false claims, much less the general public. Significantly, the government has also invoked its legal powers to block content that it finds to be propagating misinformation. Social media handles of several Pakistani news sites have been blocked in India. Meanwhile, Elon Musk-owned X stated that it was complying — reluctantly — with a government order to remove 8,000 accounts, including some international news organisations and accounts with a large number of followers. Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She runs The Indian Express's weekly climate newsletter, Icebreaker. Apart from this, her interests range from politics and world affairs to art and culture and AI. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. ... Read More
