53. The representative of Korea said that his delegation favoured, in principle, the proposal initially put forward by the United States and Japan which was simple procedurally and did not impose excessive costs and additional burdens on Members or the Secretariat. Korea's interpretation of Article 23.4 clearly pointed to the voluntary nature of the system as was stipulated in the end of the Article, "…for protection in those Members participating in the system…". With regard to the product coverage, his delegation felt, as did a lot of Members, that the products to be protected by geographical indications had yet to be identified, so that it was premature to embark on a discussion of the extension of the product coverage beyond wines. It was also beyond the present mandate of the Council to discuss any such extension.
