국제중재에서 비계약상 청구에 대한 계약에 포함된 준거법조항의 적용과 그 한계

Arbitration is a flexible dispute-resolution mechanism resorting to arbitrators’ expertise and experience in considering the nature and content of the dispute, and the relationship of the parties. On the other hand it is necessary to promote the foreseeability of the parties by preventing arbitrary decision of the arbitral tribunal. An arbitration agreement between the parties is often contained in the contract to function as a part of the dispute-resolution mechanism for disputes arising out of the contractual relationship between the parties. Also the contract often contains a choice-of-law clause designating its governing law. The arbitration agreement and choice-of-law clause are contained in the contract but are separated from the contract. Disputes between contracting parties often involve more than just contractual liability. When a party argues for a non-contractual claim in its request for arbitration with respect to the disputes arising from the contractual relationship between the parties, the arbitral tribunal should characterize the claim in question. In doing so the tribunal is to identify the substance of the claim over the form. Once the claim in question is characterized as a non-contractual claim, then it should be determined whether the arbitration agreement encompasses the non-contractual claim. It is how to interpret the arbitration agreement, which favors a wide interpretation that channels all the disputes arising out of the contractual relationship between the parties to the arbitral procedure. If the arbitration agreement encompasses the non-contractual claim, it is necessary to determine whether the choice-of-law clause encompasses the claim. It is also how to interpret the choice-of-law clause based upon the parties’ intent. It would comply with the parties’ reasonable intent to interpret the clause as consistently as possible with the arbitration agreement so that the clause encompasses the non-contractual claim. The sphere of application of the choice-of-law clause is reasonably delimitated by the existence of mandatory law or public policy restrictions. When the choice-of-law clause fails to encompass the non-contractual claim or is lacking, there is no uniform way to determine the law applicable to the claim, which undermines foreseeability. Still it is possible to reasonably adjust the parties’ interests and to promote foreseeability and legal certainty by indirectly extending the applicable law to the contract through the preexisting contract between the parties to the non-contractual claim. Whether the arbitration agreement and choice-of-law clause encompass the non-contractual claim is determined by balancing efficiency of resolving disputes by uniform governing law in a channelled procedure and case by case necessity for divided procedures as well as by adjusting conflicting foreseeability and legal certainty on the one hand and flexibility on the other. This research could contribute to promoting international arbitration by reducing lingering uncertainty and enhancing foreseeability and legal certainty with reasonably delimitation of the scope of the arbitration agreement and the scope of the choice-of-law clause with respect to the non-contractual claim.