US says S. Korea, 3 other WTO members keep developing country status despite pledge to forgo special treatment

WASHINGTON — The United States said Monday that South Korea and three other members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) maintained their self-declared developing country status despite their pledge to forgo special and differential treatment (SDT) in WTO negotiations. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a report on WTO reform issues, including on eligibility for SDT, on the eve of a WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon, as it reiterated the need for WTO reform in pursuit of "reciprocity" and "balance" in the international trading system. "Between March 2019 and March 2020, four WTO members -- Brazil, Singapore, Korea, and Costa Rica -- announced that they would forgo SDT provisions in current and future WTO negotiations, yet they maintained their self-declared developing country status," the report said. On China, the report said that in September 2025, China announced it will not seek SDT in WTO negotiations but pointed out that a "closer examination raises questions about China's pledge." When a country self-declares as a developing country, it ca

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