Broken Glass Window in Haeundae Due to Typhoon... Turns Out to Be 'Made in China'

Massive Production Volume and Low Prices Drive Entry into Domestic Market
Imported by Construction Site Units, Exempt from Tariffs
Significant Impact on Domestic Glass Market Due to Influx of Chinese Products

On the 6th, workers are repairing glass windows that were broken or cracked during the recent typhoon at LCT in Haeundae-gu, Busan. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] #LCT resident Kim Hyesun (pseudonym) felt fear when she saw the windows shaking as if there was an earthquake while staying at home during Typhoon Maysak. So, during Typhoon Haishen, she evacuated to her parents' house. Kim said, "The scenery is amazing, but thinking about trembling in fear every time there is a typhoon made me worry about what to do in the future."

On the 7th, the glass on the exterior wall of LCT in Haeundae-gu, Busan, shattered due to the 10th typhoon Haishen that swept through the area between the high-rise buildings with luxurious curtain walls (processed glass). Following the recent 9th typhoon Maysak and now Haishen hitting the Korean Peninsula, there have been consecutive incidents of exterior wall glass damage centered around Haeundae-gu, Busan, where high-rise buildings are concentrated along the coast. Analysis suggests that the cause of the glass breakage is not only due to building wind but also possibly related to quality issues.

According to multiple glass industry insiders on the 8th, it was confirmed that Chinese-made glass was used in the exterior wall glass installation of LCT. One insider explained, "Because the price is 10-20% cheaper, the cost-saving effect on construction expenses is significant, so many recent high-rise projects have construction companies requesting Chinese-made glass."

Massive Volume and Low Price Lead to Inflow into Domestic Landmark Sites

The offensive of Chinese processed glass is intensifying. Recently, Chinese products boasting massive volume and price competitiveness are increasing their market share, especially in domestic landmark projects. According to the Korea Institute for Industrial Technology Promotion's report titled 'Development of Quality Management Evaluation Model for Flat Glass Finished Products Industry and the Impact of Imported Products,' the domestic processed glass market size is about 1.5 million tons annually. For insulated glass, domestic production accounts for 68%, and tempered glass accounts for 18%. In 2018, imported architectural flat glass was about 420,000 tons, recording a 30% market share.

While raw flat glass imports from China have been low due to anti-dumping tariffs, processed glass is imported per construction site and thus excluded from tariff imposition. As a result, a large amount of Chinese processed glass without country of origin labeling is flowing into domestic construction sites. One glass industry insider said, "Chinese processed glass does not necessarily mean poor quality," but added, "During bidding, high-quality mock-ups are proposed, but often low-quality glass different from the mock-up is delivered at the construction site." Another industry insider explained, "In the case of Chinese products, brokers order and import per construction site rather than companies directly supplying, so it is difficult to hold anyone accountable for quality defects."

Processed Glass Excluded from Tariff Imposition... “Urgent Need to Impose Tariffs on Chinese Processed Glass as Well as Flat Glass”

The influx of Chinese processed glass is also dealing a heavy blow to the domestic architectural glass industry. The domestic market structure consists of about 1,500 companies processing flat glass produced by two companies, KCC Glass and HanGlass. The head of a glass processing company in Gwangju said, "We expanded processing equipment last year, but this year, at large-scale curtain wall construction sites, I heard that Chinese products were explicitly requested for delivery," adding, "The volume of deliveries is gradually decreasing, so urgent import tariff measures are needed not only for flat glass but also for processed glass." The Korea Flat Glass and Window Association has started guaranteeing the quality of domestic processed glass through the operation of the 'Domestic Processed Glass Product Certification System,' but it is insufficient against the massive volume and price competitiveness of Chinese products.

Concerns about some low-quality Chinese processed glass are also significant. Professor Oh Sanggeun of the Department of Architecture at Seoul National University of Science and Technology pointed out, "Although Chinese processed glass submits quality evaluation reports when applied to construction sites, it is necessary to mandate compliance with standardized domestic quality standards," adding, "Unsecured quality during the process of Chinese glass entering the domestic market to absorb oversupply can threaten the quality of buildings."

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