Although the protectionism focused on advanced countries is increasing around the global economy, South Korea should expand the trade as coping with the protectionism aggressively. The main cause for the current protectionism emotion is that the trade benefit was not distributed extensively to the social classes. South Korea, the largest beneficiary of the trade liberation, which is FTA power will have to take the lead in the distribution of the trade benefit for any class not to be alienated.
Herein, Gyeongnam is required to arrange a plan for the FTA preparation and use of the local economy, enhancement of the support and role of the import/export enterprise, and reinforcement of the competitiveness of each industry by closely analyzing the economic effect caused by FTA.
In this thesis, the market share index, trade specialization index, and revealed comparative advantage were utilized regarding the effect which happened during the period before and after each FTA went into effect focusing on US and China, main trade nations of Gyeongnam area among countries who concluded FTA with South Korea. Major 40 export items in Gyeongnam area which was classified into HS Code 6 unites were comparatively analyzed to find out the items which Gyeonnam area should concentrate on later and the items needing a new strategy and restructuring through the competitiveness analysis in the markets of US and China which were the largest trade countries.
As a result of analyzing them, the items which received the FTA benefit because the export competitiveness rose or the conventional tariff continued in a customs-free way and was withdrawn promptly after South Korea concluded FTA with US and China were 880330(Other parts of aeroplanes or helicopters) 841590(Air conditioning machines Parts), 842952(Machinery with a 360° revolving superstructure), 870899( Parts and accessories of the motor vehicles of headings 87.01 to 87.05.), 845020(Machines, each of a dry linen capacity exceeding 10 kg), 845129(Other Drying machines), 841430(Compressors of a kind used in refrigerating equipment), 845710(Machining centres), 845811(Numerically controlled). The competitiveness will have to be raised continuously to target the American and Chinese markets. On the other hand, 853720(For a voltage exceeding 1,000 V) is the item which lost the export competitiveness, a new strategy and restructuring for being converted into the revealed comparative advantage are required.