Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

KTC Recommends Provisional Anti-Dumping Duties on Hot-Rolled Products from Japan and China

The Korea Trade Commission (KTC) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) held its 462nd session today to review two anti-dumping cases and two patent infringement cases in international trade, and received a report on one newly initiated patent infringement investigation. The KTC examined ongoing anti-dumping investigations launched in March this year on hot-rolled carbon and alloy steel products from Japan and China, as well as single-mode optical fiber from China. The KTC issued preliminary determinations confirming dumping in both cases and found that the dumped imports caused material injury to the Korean industry. To prevent further damage during the ongoing investigations, the KTC decided to recommend to the Korea’s economy and finance minister the imposition of provisional anti-dumping duties of between 28.16% and 33.57% for Japanese and Chinese hot-rolled products, and of 43.35% for Chinese single-mode optical fiber. Regarding patent-related trade cases, the KTC revisited a complaint filed by Wyeth LLC concerning alleged infringement of its pneumococcal conjugate vaccine patent. Although the KTC initially ruled in February 2024 that the respondent had infringed the patent, a recent administrative court ruling overturned that decision. Accordingly, the KTC issued a redetermination in line with the court’s ruling for non-infringement. The KTC also received a report on the initiation of a new investigation filed in June 2025 by Korean company Value Innovation Partners Co., Ltd. concerning patent infringement regarding connected electric vehicles. date2025-07-25

Korea and Cambodia Launch First Article 6.2 Climate Project

Korea has officially launched its first carbon mitigation project under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, in partnership with the Kingdom of Cambodia. The landmark authorization — granted by the Cambodian government on July 18 and commemorated at an official ceremony on July 21 in Phnom Penh — marks a major milestone in Korea’s global climate action and bilateral cooperation efforts. The approved project, led by Korean private company VeryWords, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Cambodia’s transport sector through the deployment of electric motorcycles and the development of supporting charging infrastructure over a ten-year period (2025–2034).The project is expected to reduce 680,000 tCO2eq, of which 400,000 tons will be transferred to Korea and counted toward its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). “This is the first approved outcome of Korea’s investment support program, launched in 2023, which provides upfront financing to Korean companies and recovers the investment later in the form of carbon credits,” said a MOTIE representative.   Article 6.2 in Action: From Framework to Implementation   The Ministry of Environment of Cambodia issued a Letter of Authorization (LOA) under its national Article 6 governance framework, officially enabling the project to commence operations in accordance with Cambodia’s rules and procedures. The issuance of the LOA was made possible through the efforts of a working group comprising the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of Korea, the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). On the Korean side, KOTRA and the Korea Energy Agency (KEA) participated as working group members. The group jointly reviewed key project elements — including the methodology, total emission reductions, and allocation ratios — which laid the foundation for the official authorization.   Advancing Structural Cooperation Through High-Level Dialogue   Building on this achievement, Korea and Cambodia are now working to expand cooperation beyond individual projects. On July 21–22, high-level bilateral meetings and an International Mitigation Forum were held in Phnom Penh to explore future collaboration in the transport sector. MOTIE held bilateral meetings with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) and the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) of Cambodia, with a focus on establishing government-to-government partnerships in the transport sector.  The forum also brought together key stakeholders from government, industry, and international organizations to discuss future mitigation projects and ways to align carbon market strategies. “This project reflects the growing maturity of bilateral cooperation under Article 6.2,” said the MOTIE official. “By aligning policy leadership from Cambodia with Korea’s technology and investment, we are laying the groundwork for scalable, long-term climate partnerships that go beyond individual projects.” date2025-07-21

Eco-Friendly Vehicle Exports Set Monthly Records for Third Consecutive Month in June

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that electric vehicle exports, including hydrogen vehicles, reached $780 million in June – an increase of 11.2 percent year-on-year, marking the first return to growth in 16 months since January 2024. Signaling a positive turnaround in EV exports, total exports of eco-friendly vehicles rose 18.6 percent from a year earlier to $2.2 billion, setting a new monthly record for the third consecutive month. Overall automobile exports also rebounded in June after two months of decline, reaching $6.34 billion (up 2.3 percent year-on-year), the highest export value ever recorded for the month of June. By model, GM Korea’s Trax (28,797 units) and Trailblazer (15,747 units) continued to show strong export performance, ranking first and fifth, respectively. Hyundai’s Kona (21,399 units) and Palisade (15,947 units) also performed well, ranking second and fourth, respectively, underscoring the sustained strength of SUV exports. Electric vehicle exports also contributed to the rebound, with approximately 22,000 units exported – a 21.4 percent increase year-on-year - including 7,903 units of the EV3 and 3,938 units of the Casper EV. By region, exports to the U.S. declined by 16.0 percent year-on-year to $2.69 billion. In contrast, exports to the European Union rose for the third consecutive month. Notably, exports to Germany surged to $150 million (up 137.8 percent), and to the Netherlands to $90 million (up 89.8 percent), driven by a combination of factors including a low base effect from last year’s weak performance, robust EV export growth, and the establishment of KG Mobility’s European sales subsidiary in Germany in August 2024. Exports of automobile parts rose to $1.8 billion in June, marking a 2.5 percent year-on-year increase. Growth was observed in key markets such as the U.S. (up 6.3 percent to $680 million) and the Czech Republic (up 4.9 percent to $70 million), where Korean automakers operate local manufacturing plants. Significant growth was also recorded in emerging markets such as Kazakhstan (up 208 percent to $40 million), driven by strong demand for aftermarket parts. Domestic automobile sales in June 2025 increased for the fifth consecutive month, reaching 146,000 units - up 5.8 percent year-on-year. Of this total, sales of domestically produced vehicles rose to 117,000 units (up 6.2 percent), while imported vehicle sales reached 29,000 units (up 4.0 percent). Sales of eco-friendly vehicles maintained their upward trajectory for the 16th consecutive month, accounting for nearly half (49.8 percent) of total domestic sales. Notably, domestic EV sales exceeded 20,000 units for the second month in a row, following their recovery to the 20,000-unit mark in May— the first time in 14 months since March 2024. Automobile production in June 2025 remained largely unchanged from the same period last year, recording a slight decline of 0.1 percent. This was due to increased domestic sales of domestically produced vehicles (up 4.8 percent) being offset by a decrease in exports (down 3.1 percent). Notably, pickup truck production surged to 23,000 units – an 853 percent increase - driven by the launch of new models such as Hyundai’s Tasman and KGM’s Musso EV. This led to substantial growth in both domestic sales (up 131 percent) and exports (up 850 percent). In the first half of 2025, Korea’s automobile industry recorded a 3.8 percent year-on-year decline in exports, totaling 1.41 million units. This decrease was primarily attributed to increased overseas production by Korean automakers and a base effect following strong performance in the previous year. However, the decline in overall production was relatively moderate, falling by 1.6 percent to 2.11 million units, supported by a 3.5 percent increase in domestic sales, which reached 830,000 units. Growth in the domestic date2025-07-18

FICs and Domestic Research Institutions Partner for R&D and Technology Sharing

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) hosted a technology exchange today at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) between foreign-invested companies (FICs) and domestic public research institutions with an aim to foster Korea’s innovation ecosystem by leveraging the R&D capabilities of global FICs. Launched with the participation of 10 FICs and 15 domestic research institutions, the exchange was first proposed by FICs during the Global Foreign Investment Company and Public Institution Roundtable held in May, with the goal of building an R&D cooperation system through technology exchange with the public institutions’ top researchers. At today’s exchange, participants took stock of technological progress in advanced industries, shared recent development trends, and explored future collaboration opportunities. MOTIE is in the process of pursuing supportive policies, such as expanding cash incentives linked to exclusive R&D projects for FICs and improving regulations, to attract investments for the establishment of a major global business R&D center to facilitate continued investment from FICs’ parent companies and catalyze the transfer of leading technologies currently unavailable in Korea.  At today’s exchange, FICs and public institutions engaged in not only technology sharing, but also in one-on-one consultations to identify potential joint projects and discussed tangible cooperative measures. Director General for Investment Policy Ryu Peob-min stated that the ministry plans to launch joint programs involving public research institutions for the establishment of a global R&D center for FICs with leading technologies, while pushing to expand exclusive R&D initiatives for FICs to promote the active participation of global corporations.   date2025-07-15

Korea’s ICT exports rise 5.8% in H1 2025

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced today that Korea’s exports and imports of information and communications technology (ICT) goods for the first half (H1) of 2025 gained 5.8 percent and 5.0 percent year-on-year to USD 115.2 billion and $70.9 billion, respectively. The trade balance recorded a surplus of $44.2 billion. In H1 2025, ICT exports maintained an upward trajectory for five consecutive months as a result of increasing demand for AI datacenters, achieving the second highest export value for H1.  By category, exports of semiconductors (up 11.4 percent), mobile phones (up 9.1 percent) and computers/peripherals (up 10.8 percent) rose, whereas those of displays (down 13.9 percent) and communication devices (down 2.5 percent) declined.  Semiconductor exports hit historic highs for H1 as fixed prices of key memory chips like DRAMs and NAND flash rebounded and high value-added chips such as HBMs and DDR5s retained strong performance. Mobile phone exports were driven by robust sales of top models and parts like camera modules.   Computers/peripherals also advanced, led by growing exports of datacenter solid-state drives (SSDs) in tandem with the expansion of AI servers.  Meanwhile, display exports shrank from the impact of adjusted downstream industry shipments and last year’s base effect. The drop in communication device exports is attributed to the global market slowdown as well as increased local production in Vietnam in an effort to secure cost competitiveness. By region, Korea’s H1 ICT exports grew to overseas markets like Taiwan (up 89.6 percent), the U.S. (up 14.5 percent), Vietnam (up 10.0 percent), India (up 9.3 percent), and Japan (up 5.7 percent). Those to China (including Hong Kong) (down 11.5 percent) and the EU (down 2.7 percent) contracted. As for H1 imports, categories like graphic cards (up 23.9 percent) and midrange and mainframe computers (up 36.9 percent) climbed sharply amid an expansion of AI infrastructure. ICT exports for June 2025 logged new highs for the month at $22.0 billion (up 4.7 percent), with semiconductor exports recording all-time monthly highs (up 11.5 percent to $15.0 billion).   date2025-07-14

MOTIE Launches Policy Forum for Deeper Korea-India High-Tech Cooperation

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) jointly launched a policy forum on the theme of “Digital Transformation and Korea-India Cooperation Strategy” today in Seoul to discuss future cooperation between the two countries in cutting-edge industries. At the forum, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) Research Fellow Ro Yoon-jae first spoke on India’s digital public infrastructure strategy, followed by Wellmatix CEO Satyabrata Aich, who presented on the prospects for collaboration based on the two countries’ AI industry trends and best cooperative practices. They both articulated the need for a stronger Korea-India strategic partnership in these areas, highlighting that combining Korea’s advanced manufacturing technologies with India’s IT competitiveness and startups ecosystem can create significant synergy. HD Hyundai, Balance Hero, Medipixel, and other companies operating in the local Indian market also attended today’s forum to share their experience and suggested ways to deepen intergovernmental policy cooperation. In his opening message, Deputy Minister for Trade Park Jong-won stated that the two countries’ economic cooperation and outcomes were previously focused on manufacturing sectors, adding that in consideration of the recent global oversupply and other structural issues, Korea and India should advance practical cooperation and uncover new cooperative models in digital high-tech areas going forward. With this year marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-India special strategic partnership, MOTIE plans to expand policy communication with the Indian government and bolster cooperation in new industries.   date2025-07-09

MOTIE Holds Energy Super Week Briefing for Foreign Embassies in Korea

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) held a briefing for foreign embassies in Korea on the upcoming Energy Super Week (Aug. 25–29) today in Seoul outlining the event’s main programs and the newly elected administration’s energy policy directions, requesting the foreign embassies’ interest and support. The briefing was attended by 43 foreign embassies in Korea including those of Japan, the EU, the UK, and Vietnam. Four major events are lined up for Energy Super Week in Busan: the APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting (Aug. 27–28), 16th Clean Energy Ministerial (Aug. 25–27), 10th Mission Innovation (MI) Ministerial (Aug. 25–27), and 2025 World Climate Industry EXPO (Aug. 27–29). Energy ministers, government delegations, and business leaders of 40 member economies, as well as relevant international organizations, will be gathering to discuss future energy outlooks and solutions. The APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting will cover key agendas such as power grid infrastructure, energy security, stable power supply, and AI-powered energy innovation. At the 16th Clean Energy Ministerial and the 10th Mission Innovation Ministerial, participants will discuss issues like energy efficiency, power transition, future fuels (hydrogen), energy and AI, and carbon reduction technologies.  Near the end of August, MOTIE will co-host 2025 World Climate Industry EXPO with the International Energy Agency (IEA) and World Bank (WB) on the theme of “Energy for AI & AI for Energy,” featuring speakers like IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and WB Vice President Manuela Ferro. The program consists of three major summits — the Global Leadership Summit, the Energy & AI Summit, and the Climate Summit — alongside 12 specialized conferences and sideline events, including recruitment sessions and trade consultations. Visitors can also experience the latest and future technologies in areas of climate and energy at various booths set up by Samsung, LG, Doosan Enerbility, Hanwha Qcells, and other global companies.   date2025-07-08

FDI Arrivals to Korea Rise 2.7% in H1 2025

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that foreign direct investments (FDIs) pledged to Korea in the first half of 2025 (Jan-Jun, acc.) decreased 14.6 percent year-on-year to USD 13.1 billion, while FDIs that actually arrived in Korea over the same period rose 2.7 percent to $7.3 billion. By type, greenfield and M&A investment pledges declined 4.5 percent and 44.6 percent to $11.0 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively. In contrast, greenfield and M&A investment arrivals rose 4.4 percent and 0.2 percent to $4.5 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively, as investments expanded for service businesses like datacenters and hypermarkets. By region, FDI pledges flowing in from the EU increased 14.5 percent to $2.2 billion. Those from the U.S. rose 20.2 percent to $3.1 billion, led by the retail and service sector. Meanwhile, pledges from Japan (down 25.4 percent to $2.2 billion) and China (down 39.0 percent to $1.8 billion) dropped. By industry, FDI pledges for the manufacturing sector fell 34.5 percent to $5.3 billion as categories like electrical and electronics (down 61.6 percent to $1.4 billion) and machinery and precision medical devices (down 77.0 percent to $0.3 billion) were affected by global trade uncertainties and a reduction in domestic facility investments. The service sector saw pledges rise 10.6 percent to $7.1 billion, led by categories like retail (up 73.3 percent to $1.3 billion) and information and communications (up 9.4 percent to $1.1 billion).   date2025-07-03