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Was the KORUS FTA a Horrible Deal?

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  • Hyeongwoo Kim
  • Madeline H. Kim
  • Divya Sadana
  • Jie Zhang

Abstract

Donald Trump claimed that the free trade agreement with Korea (KORUS FTA) was a horrible deal because the U.S. trade deficit increased substantially after the agreement went into effect in March 2012. However, similar deteriorations occurred during the same period in the U.S. trade balances with most other major trading partners, even though none of them had an FTA with the U.S. We investigate the causal effects of the KORUS FTA on the trade account balance between the U.S. and Korea via the difference-in-differences approach. Our empirical analysis provides strong evidence in favor of Trump's claim, controlling for potential impacts of economic fluctuations over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyeongwoo Kim & Madeline H. Kim & Divya Sadana & Jie Zhang, 2022. "Was the KORUS FTA a Horrible Deal?," Auburn Economics Working Paper Series auwp2022-02, Department of Economics, Auburn University.
    • Handle: RePEc:abn:wpaper:auwp2022-02
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade

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