Trade Commission Imposes Up to '33%' Anti-Dumping Duties on Chinese Zinc-Coated Cold-Rolled Steel Sheets

Preliminary Determination of Domestic Injury

The Korea Trade Commission under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has made a provisional decision to impose anti-dumping duties of up to 30% on zinc-coated cold-rolled steel sheets imported from China.

On April 16, the Commission held its 472nd plenary meeting and announced a preliminary affirmative determination regarding the dumping case of “Chinese zinc and zinc-alloy surface-treated cold-rolled products.” As a result, the Commission decided to recommend to the Minister of Economy and Finance that provisional anti-dumping duties ranging from 22.34% to 33.67%, depending on the supplier, be imposed on these products.

This measure is a provisional action intended to prevent further damage during the main investigation period. Previously, domestic companies including Dongkuk CM, KG Steel, and Seah CM filed a dumping investigation request in November last year. Since then, the Commission has collected opinions from domestic producers, importers, and consumers, reviewed relevant data, and investigated the existence of dumping and the resulting industrial injury.

The products subject to this measure are cold-rolled products with a thickness of less than 4.75 mm, surface-treated with zinc or zinc alloy. These materials are widely used across various industries, including construction materials (such as roofing and exterior materials), automotive parts, home appliances, furniture, and piping. The Commission determined that low-priced imports have led to falling domestic market prices and deteriorating profitability, causing damage across the industry.

The final determination is scheduled to be made around September, following on-site inspections, public hearings, and additional data collection.

In addition, the Commission reported on the initiation of a dumping investigation into “solid caustic soda” originating from China and Taiwan. After reviewing the eligibility and representativeness of the investigation request, as well as the evidence of dumping and injury to domestic industry, the Trade Investigation Office concluded that the initiation of the investigation was justified.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Commission also held public hearings on two separate cases concerning domestic industry injury: “seamless copper pipes from Thailand” and “butyl acrylate from China.” In accordance with the Enforcement Decree of the Customs Act, the hearings were held to ensure stakeholders had the opportunity to present their views, with around 20 participants representing both the applicants and respondents in each case. Final determinations for these cases are expected in June and July, respectively.

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