Celltrion Recertified with Top ‘AAA’ Rating in Korea Customs Service AEO Program

The Only AAA-Rated Company in the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Sector

Continued Benefits of Expedited Customs Clearance and Exemption from Logistics Inspections

Celltrion announced on the 14th that it has been re-certified with the highest rating of 'AAA' in the Export-Import Safety Management Excellent Company (AEO) renewal assessment hosted by the Korea Customs Service.

On this day, at the AEO certification award ceremony held at the Incheon Main Customs, Celltrion received the AAA certificate—the highest rating—in both the export and import categories. With this recertification, the company will maintain its AAA status until 2030.

At the 2026 2nd Export-Import Safety Management Excellent Company (AEO) Certification Ceremony, a representative from Celltrion is taking a commemorative photo. Celltrion

AEO is a certification granted by the Korea Customs Service according to World Customs Organization (WCO) international standards, based on reviews of regulatory compliance, internal control systems, financial soundness, and safety management. Among 773 companies currently holding AEO certification, only 20 have achieved the AAA rating, and Celltrion is the sole representative of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector.

Celltrion was recognized in the renewal assessment for continuously enhancing its internal control and safety management systems. The company also operates a supply chain management system integrated with its overseas logistics partners, and has established a unified self-inspection system that preemptively verifies Free Trade Agreement (FTA) eligibility and customs clearance compliance. This system was introduced as a best practice to the UK customs authorities during the Korea-UK AEO Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) cooperation process.

By maintaining its AAA rating, Celltrion will continue to benefit from customs administration advantages, such as exemptions from submitting export/import documentation and logistics inspections (except for random inspections), as well as expedited clearance. Celltrion expects these benefits will shorten clearance times for biopharmaceutical products and allow the company to enjoy swift customs clearance in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and other countries that have signed AEO MRAs with Korea.

Kang Seonghwan, Head of Supply Operations at Celltrion, stated, "Maintaining the AAA rating reaffirms our customs clearance processes and risk management capabilities. Based on this competitive edge in customs, we will strive to operate a stable global supply chain and ensure timely delivery of pharmaceuticals."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.