Students from Kangnam University received the top award at a mock trade committee competition for college and graduate students.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held an awards ceremony and a meeting with winners on August 26 in Seoul for the '2026 College (Graduate) Student Mock Trade Committee.' The mock trade committee has been held annually since 2005 to enhance understanding of trade remedy systems among students and to raise public awareness of these systems.
This year's competition featured 19 teams from 27 universities across the country. Participants created videos and scenarios in the style of entertainment or drama, focusing on trade remedy cases such as dumping, domestic industry damage, and patent and design infringement. After evaluating their understanding of the trade remedy system, six teams were selected as winners.
The top prize, which includes a trophy from the Minister of Trade and a cash award of 5 million won, was awarded to the 'Trade Coaster' team from Kangnam University. This team effectively illustrated the investigation process of unfair trade practices related to the design rights infringement of fishing clamps, from the application for investigation to the final ruling.
The Excellence Award was given to the 'Dumping Man' team, a collaboration between Sungkyunkwan University and Ewha Womans University, which addressed the dumping of industrial robots from Japan and China and its impact on the domestic industry. Other recipients included the 'Future Trade Company' team from Kwangwoon University, which focused on the termination of anti-dumping duties on PET film from China and India, and the 'Mupunji' team from Jeonbuk National University, which dealt with a patent infringement case involving electric frying pans.
The 'Trade Bridge' team, a collaboration between Korea University, Dankook University, Seoul Tech University, and Hansung University, received an award for addressing the dumping of sodium metabisulfite from China. The 'Trade Pig Siblings' team from Paichai University and Chungnam National University was recognized for their work on copyright infringement related to mango jelly packaging.
The six winning entries will be showcased on the official YouTube channel of the Trade Committee.
Seo Ga-ram, the standing committee member of the Trade Committee, remarked, 'It was impressive to see young people express the trade remedy system in innovative and diverse ways. I hope this experience serves as a solid foundation for realizing their individual dreams.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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