U.S. gov't downplays Whirlpool's accusation against S. Korean rivals

(ATTN: UPDATES with Whirlpool's response in last 3 paras; MODIFIES headline, lead paras)
By Lee Chi-dong
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- In a preliminary ruling in favor of South Korea's major refrigerator makers, the U.S. Department of Commerce said Tuesday Whirlpool Corporation's charges that they had received huge government subsidies are groundless.
In March, the Michigan-based manufacturer filed a petition with the department against its three South Korean competitors -- LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics and Daewoo Electronics, claiming they took big subsidies and should face countervailing duties.
The department, however, announced a "negative preliminary determination in the countervailing duty investigation" of imports of their refrigerators with a freezer located underneath the refrigeration compartment.
"As a result of this preliminary determination, Commerce will not instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect a cash deposit or bond based on these preliminary rates," it said in a press release.
It added that the final ruling is due in January.
But Whirlpool, a producer of home appliances, has filed a separate "anti-dumping" case against the South Korean firms, with the department's preliminary determination slated for Oct. 27.
In a statement emailed to Yonhap New Agency, Whirlpool stressed that the department's view is not final.
"Whirlpool Corporation is not surprised by this preliminary decision, given the Korean producers??? bold resistance to providing adequate responses to the Commerce Department's questionnaires,???its spokesperson Kristine Vernier said.
"We're confident it will require the Korean producers to provide complete and accurate responses as required under U.S. law. We look forward to the final determination by next March, once all the facts are placed on the record and all the subsidy programs have been fully investigated," Vernier added.
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