South Korea has decided to impose anti-dumping duties on imports of PVC paste resin from four European countries, escalating trade tensions in the global petrochemical sector. The move follows an investigation by the Korea Trade Commission (KTC), which concluded that low-priced imports from Europe had caused significant damage to domestic manufacturers.
According to South Korea’s industry ministry, the proposed anti-dumping tariffs will range between 25.79% and 31.55% on PVC paste resin imports originating from Germany, France, Norway, and Sweden. The duties are expected to be formally implemented following approval from the finance ministry.
PVC paste resin is a fine-powder form of polyvinyl chloride widely used in industrial applications including flooring materials, synthetic leather, gloves, footwear, wallpapers, and coated fabrics. The investigation was initiated after a complaint filed by Hanwha Solutions last year, alleging that European exporters were dumping products into the Korean market at unfairly low prices.
The Korea Trade Commission stated that it found “tangible damage” to the domestic industry as a result of the imports. Alongside the PVC decision, Korean authorities also launched a separate anti-dumping investigation into steel bar and rod imports from Chinese companies.
The development comes amid rising global scrutiny over chemical and polymer imports, with several countries tightening trade measures to protect domestic manufacturing industries from price undercutting and oversupply.