Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

Seoul International Forum on Trade Remedies 2025

Vice Minister Sungtaek Park attended the Seoul International Forum on Trade Remedies 2025 on June 10 at COEX in Seoul, held with the participation of 150 persons composed of representatives and experts of trade remedies institutions from 11 economies around the world, including the U.S., EU, China, and Japan, as well as the WTO. Vice Minister Park gave a congratulatory message, stating that in view of the increasing trade uncertainties, it is time that the international community join efforts for wisdom and cooperation. He also expressed hopes that the Seoul Forum will continue to serve as a platform facilitating international cooperation by catalyzing the development of global trade remedies systems. date2025-06-11

Korea Trade Commission holds Seoul International Forum on Trade Remedies 2025

The Korea Trade Commission (KTC) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) held the Seoul International Forum on Trade Remedies 2025 (“Seoul Forum 2025”) on June 10, 2025, at COEX in Seoul. Now in its 23rd year since the initial launch in 2001, Seoul Forum is the world’s only international forum dedicated to trade remedies. This year’s event brought together 150 participants, including representatives and experts from 11 trade remedies institutions around the world, including the U.S., EU, China, and Japan, as well as the World Trade Organization (WTO). The first and second session were held under theme of “Supply Chain Realignment and the New Challenge Facing Trade Remedies Institutions” and “Recent Trends in Trade Remedy Investigations: Cases and Tasks,” respectively, and consisted of presentations and panel discussions among trade remedy institutions from different countries. In addition, a technical committee meeting and a conference for the heads of trade remedy authorities served as platforms for cooperation, sharing policies, and practical investigation experiences. This year’s forum also marked a notable rise in its international standing, with participating countries holding 29 bilateral meetings on the sidelines. The main event itself drew the attendance of a large number of high-level officials including Frédéric Seppey, Chairperson of the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT), and David Latina, Australia’s Anti-Dumping Commissioner. Participants at the forum shared the view that  trade remedies are a key tool for upholding a fair trade order amid supply chain shifts and uncertainties across the global trade landscape. They also noted a common trend across various countries toward reforming their trade systems and strengthening institutional capacity as investigations become more complex due to factors such as global oversupply and circumvention. The KTC has received five anti-dumping investigation petitions in the first quarter of 2025 alone, already reaching half of last year’s total of 10, the highest annual figure in the last 20 years. By May 2025, the KTC has also submitted a total of eight proposals, including provisional measures, for anti-dumping duties on steel and petrochemical products for which dumped imports were found to have caused injury on domestic industries. The above outcomes are a result of the organizational expansion and restructuring efforts that the KTC carried out in March 2025, aiming to enhance its timely responses to domestic industrial injury caused by low-priced imports and to strengthen trade defense mechanisms. date2025-06-10

Korea’s exports decline 1.3% in May

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on June 1 that Korea’s exports and imports for the month of May 2025 decreased 1.3 percent and 5.3 percent year-on-year, respectively, to USD 57.3 billion and $50.3 billion. The trade balance stood at a surplus of $6.9 billion.   Accounting for the number of working days, the daily average export value rose 1.0 percent to this year’s all-time high of $2.7 billion. Five out of Korea’s 15 major export items advanced in May. Semiconductors hit a new high for the month with $13.8 billion (up 21.2 percent) as fixed prices rose alongside strong demand for high value-added memory chips like HBMs and DDR5s. Wireless communication exports maintained an upward trajectory for the fourth consecutive month, climbing 3.9 percent to $1.3 billion on the backs of the robust performance of smartphones (up 30.0 percent to $0.4 billion). Computers, including solid-state drive (SSDs), increased 2.3 percent to $1.1 billion, turning to an expansion. Bio-health exports (up 4.5 percent to $1.4 billion) increased for the fourth consecutive month, driven by the solid growth of biopharmaceuticals (up 13.7 percent to $0.9 billion). Ship exports gained 4.3 percent to $2.2 billion, growing for the third month straight. Korea’s total automobile exports entered the $6 billion thresholds for the fourth consecutive month, thanks to demand for EVs and secondhand cars (up 71.0 percent to $0.7 billion) in the EU market.  In addition to the leading 15 items, Korea’s agricultural food products (up 5.5 percent to $1.0 billion) and cosmetics (up 9.3 percent to $1.0 billion) both reached historic highs for May and electric machinery (up 0.1 percent to $1.3 billion) improved for the fourth consecutive month. By region, Korea’s May exports expanded to two out of nine major destinations. To China, exports dropped 8.4 percent to $10.4 billion as those of semiconductors and petrochemicals receded. U.S.-bound exports fell 8.1 percent to $10.0 billion as a result of a plunge in automobile exports, despite the growth of wireless communications devices, petroleum products, and secondary batteries. Exports to ASEAN shrank 1.3 percent to $10.0 billion in spite of the double-digit growth of semiconductor exports, as petroleum products and petrochemicals took a sharp dive.  Exports to the EU (up 4.0 percent to $6.0 billion) were led by automobiles and semiconductors, gaining for the third consecutive month. Those to CIS countries surged 34.7 percent to $1.2 billion. Korea’s energy imports for May diminished 12.8 percent to $10.2 billion, owing to lower imports of crude oil and gas. Non-energy imports decreased 3.2 percent to $40.2 billion.   date2025-06-02

Trade Minister attends 57th Korea-Japan Business Conference

Korea’s Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong gave a congratulatory address at the 57th Korea-Japan Business Conference on May 27 in Seoul, held with the participation of both governments and business leaders.  In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the normalization of the two countries’ diplomatic relations, Trade Minister Cheong proposed that their governments and business leaders work together in setting new milestones to open a new chapter of cooperation for the next 60 years. He also stated that joint efforts will be made for trade collaboration through close intergovernmental communication, while also providing strong support towards expanding the scope of bilateral economic cooperation in supply chain stabilization, transition to carbon-free and new energy sources, as well as joint entry into Global South and other third countries. date2025-05-29

“K-FEZ Day in Europe” Launches in London and Frankfurt

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) launched “K-FEZ Day in Europe” in London and Frankfurt from May 19 to 23, 2025. First held in Singapore in 2024, K-FEZ Day is co-organized by MOTIE, the FEZ Planning Office, and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) to introduce Korea’s Free Economic Zones (FEZs) to investors in major cities around the world. The 2025 K-FEZ Day was launched in the UK and Germany, countries ranking first and second in Europe by number of investments made in Korea as of 2024. Five of Korea’s FEZs (Incheon, Busan-Jinhae, Gwangyang Bay Area, Ulsan, Chungbuk) took part in the event. In the UK, the delegation held a Korea-UK Investment Seminar attended by more than 30 British real estate investors and other potential investors, including Leonard Design Architects and Pure Data Centres Group. The seminar presented the strengths of Korea’s FEZs and the investment strategies of each FEZ. Following the seminar, participants and investors engaged in one-on-one business consultations in the areas of hotels, offices, healthcare facilities, and logistics. In Germany, the delegation convened a Korea-Germany Advanced Industries Roundtable with local companies holding track records of Korea-bound investments, including DB Schenker, AMDT, Prettl, and Wilo. At the roundtable, the delegation encouraged stronger interest in FEZs and sought further investments in future mobility, electrical and electronics, bio, machinery, and robotics. Head of Korea’s FEZ Planning Office Lee Hyun-jo led the delegation for K-FEZ Day in Europe, stating that K-FEZ Day is a valuable opportunity to promote Korea’s FEZs face-to-face in major investor countries. He added that Korea will continue to follow up on the outcomes of the event through the KOTRA Business Centers. date2025-05-23

Trade Minister meets China’s Ambassador to Korea

Korea’s Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong met China’s Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing on May 21 in Seoul to discuss Korea-China economic cooperation. date2025-05-23

Trade Minister holds conference with Latin America’s ambassadors to Korea

Korea’s Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong attended a conference with Latin America’s ambassadors to Korea, including Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Korea Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo, on May 20 in Seoul to discuss Korea-Latin America trade and economic cooperation. date2025-05-23

Korea Trade Commission Holds 460th Meeting

The Korea Trade Commission (KTC) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) held the 460th KTC meeting at the Government Complex Sejong on May 22, 2025, to deliberate on and resolve one anti-dumping investigation and receive a report on three newly launched anti-dumping investigations. Regarding the anti-dumping investigations on Chinese and Taiwanese petroleum resin initiated in August 2024, the KTC determined that products have been dumped and that the dumped imports had caused injury to domestic industries. Accordingly, the KTC recommended a five-year anti-dumping duty of between 2.26% and 18.52% on the said products to Korea’s Minister of Economy and Finance. The KTC also received a report on three newly launched anti-dumping investigations on fiberboards imported from Thailand, industrial robots from Japan and China, and butyl glycol ether (BGE)from Saudi Arabia. On the same day, the KTC held a public hearing on injury to the domestic industry from dumped imports of hot-rolled carbon and other alloy steel plates from China, for which investigations were initiated in October 2024. The hearing was held ahead of the final determination to give interested parties sufficient opportunity to make statements and ensure their rights of defense. The said products are currently subject to a provisional anti-dumping duty of between 27.91% and 38.02% through April 24–August 23, 2025. The final determination will be issued in the second half of 2025 following domestic and overseas due diligence procedures. date2025-05-22

Deputy Trade Minister meets Papua New Guinea’s International Trade and Investment Secretary

Korea’s Deputy Minister for Trade Park Jong-won met Papua New Guinea’s International Trade and Investment Secretary Jacinta Warakai-Manua on May 14 at ICC Jeju on the sidelines of the 2025 APEC MRT Meeting and discussed bilateral trade issues. date2025-05-21

Minister Ahn meets U.S. Trade Representative

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Dukgeun Ahn met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on May 16 at ICC Jeju and reviewed the Korea-U.S. technical discussions held on May 1 and agreed to hold further consultations going forward. date2025-05-19