A group of U.S. lawmakers has come to the defense of South Korean washing machine manufacturers as Whirlpool Corp. seeks to hand down anti-dumping tariffs, a U.S. online trade magazine said Friday.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) launched a safeguard probe of foreign washers, mostly made by South Korean companies, on June 5 to determine whether they hurt U.S. companies.

The 120-day investigation was instituted at the request of Whirlpool and could be extended for another 30 days.

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina) testified in defense of Samsung Electronics Co. at an ITC hearing Thursday, insisting Whirlpool was trying to remove fair competition while it was making profits, according to the magazine "Inside U.S. Trade."

   In a letter jointly signed with several other House representatives, Norman and others said any imposition of anti-dumping tariffs on Samsung would jeopardize plans by Samsung to build facilities in South Carolina.

Among the signees are four representatives from New Jersey where Samsung's U.S. headquarters is located.

Sen. Mark Green (R-Tennessee) and Clarksville, Tennessee, Mayor Kim McMillan defended LG, saying LG is investing US$250 million in the construction of facilities in Clarksville to create more than 600 jobs.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and several other Ohio politicians testified in support of Whirlpool. Whirlpool has facilities Ohio.

Whirlpool insists Samsung and LG have relocated production facilities to Vietnam and Thailand, respectively, to circumvent anti-dumping tariffs imposed by the U.S. government on their washers made in Mexico and China.

It has asked the ITC to levy anti-dumping tariffs on the imported washers beyond a certain amount.

The ITC said it will hold a hearing on Sept. 7 before making a decision by Oct. 5 on possible additional tariffs or import restrictions.

Samsung USA has contested Whirlpool accusations, saying such a petition filed by the U.S. washer manufacturer will incur serious damage on consumers who purchase Samsung washers for "our design and innovation."

   LG Electronics has also said in a statement, "In light of their apparent inability to compete with leading global brands like LG in the U.S. market, Whirlpool has decided to seek government restrictions to limit consumer choices."

Source: Yonhap News