South korea Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in south korea, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Import Tariffs
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The United States–Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) entered into force on March 15, 2012. Korea immediately eliminated duties on nearly 80 percent of bilateral trade in industrial and consumer goods. Duties on most other such goods were phased out in stages over 10 years and have been eliminated as of January 1, 2021. The United States and Korea reached agreement in 2018 to modifications and amendments to KORUS and a related letter exchange. The United States and Korea meet regularly to review the implementation and operation of KORUS and to address outstanding issues.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s FTA Tariff Tool can help U.S. exporters identify the harmonized system number for their products and the associated tariff rates. Exporters can also contact the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office, affiliated with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, for specific information on agricultural tariff rates.

Korea also maintains a tariff quota system designed to stabilize domestic commodity markets. Customs duties can be adjusted every six months, within the limit of the basic rate, plus or minus 40 percent.

Customs Valuation

Korea has a flat 10 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on all imports and domestically manufactured goods. A special excise tax of 10-20 percent is also levied on the importation of certain luxury items and durable consumer goods. Tariffs and taxes must be paid in Korean Won within 15 days after goods have cleared Customs. 

Customs Valuation

Duties are assessed on a Cost-Insurance-Freight (CIF) basis. The main mode of customs evaluation is the transaction value method. Other methods under the WTO appraisement hierarchy may be used if there are doubts about Korean Customs valuation methods on the stated value.

A Value Added Tax rate of 10 percent is applied on imports based on customs value plus duties.

To look up duties and tariffs use  Customs Info Database tariff look-up tool, available on trade.gov (free registration required), to estimate duties and taxes.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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