South Korea: anti-dumping duties on Chinese H-beams extended for five years

On 17 September 2026, at its 477th session, the Korea Trade Commission (KTC) ruled on the sunset review of the anti-dumping duties applying to H-beams imported from China for several years. The authority concluded that lifting the measure would again expose the Korean steel construction industry to a risk of dumping, and therefore recommended a further five-year extension.

The rates applied remain between 28.23% and 32.72% depending on the Chinese exporter concerned. For two named producers, Laiwu Steel and Rizhao Steel, the KTC chose to keep a price undertaking rather than a fixed duty: these two suppliers commit to respecting a minimum export price instead of paying the surtax. For the other Chinese exporters, the existing rates are passed to the Ministry of Finance for formal approval of the extension.

The 17 September decision closes a review procedure opened ahead of the duties' original expiry, under the standard sunset review mechanism, which allows the local industry to request they be kept in place if it can show that a return of dumping remains likely.

This affects all Korean importers of Chinese H-beams used in steel construction and industrial framing, as well as traders who resell this type of section on the Korean market.