Anti-Dumping Requests Surge... This Year's Eight-Month Total Nears Last Year's Record

Jaebong Song: "62.5% Targeting China... Chemicals and Steel Account for 91%"

With a surge in anti-dumping investigation requests by domestic companies, the number filed in the first eight months of this year has already reached levels close to last year's all-time high. These applications have increased, particularly targeting low-cost products from China, and have been concentrated in basic material industries such as chemicals and steel.

Jaebong Song, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Office of Member Song.

According to data submitted by Jaebong Song, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea and a member of the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee, the number of anti-dumping investigation requests filed between January and August this year was 11, equivalent to 91.7% of last year’s annual total of 12 cases. Last year’s figure was the highest since the establishment of the Trade Commission in 1987.

Over the past ten years, the number of requests has risen from seven cases in 2017 to twelve cases last year. Notably, of the 16 designated respondent country cases this year, 10 involved China, accounting for 62.5%. Over the last ten years as a whole, China was involved in 53 out of 130 respondent country cases (40.8%), making it the most frequently targeted country.

By item, the focus was on chemicals as well as steel and nonferrous metals. Over the past ten years, there were 33 cases (41.8%) involving chemicals and 23 cases (29.1%) involving steel and nonferrous metals, with these two fields accounting for 70.9% of the total. This year, seven cases involved chemicals and three involved steel, raising their share to 90.9%.

The market contraction was also significant. Among the 70 items investigated over the past decade, 41 cases (58.6%) saw a decrease in domestic market size during the investigation period.

Of the 79 requests filed, 74 led to investigations. Of the 63 cases where a final ruling was reached, anti-dumping duties were imposed in 59 cases. In four cases, price undertakings were accepted, concluding the cases without any duties.

Assemblyman Song stated, "A barrage of low-priced products from China is shaking the very foundation of Korea's basic material industries such as steel and chemicals," adding, "The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy should increase investigation staff, speed up processing, and prepare effective support measures for domestic companies."

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