Seah Besteel and Seah CSS, subsidiaries of South Korea’s Seah Group, have filed an anti-dumping complaint targeting imports of special steel bars from China. The move follows recent government approval of Hyundai Steel’s request to impose anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese thick steel plates and hot-rolled steel sheets, amid concerns about oversupply of low-cost, lower-quality products.
Seah Besteel warned that the continued surge in Chinese special steel bar imports threatens the competitiveness of key Korean industries such as automotive, defense, heavy machinery, aerospace, and nuclear energy.
According to the Korea Iron & Steel Association, Chinese products accounted for 92pct of the 750,000 tons of special steel bar imports in 2024. Imports from China rose sharply to 670,000 tons in 2024, up from 450,000 tons in 2022, while prices fell 24pct over the same period.
Industry observers expect further protective measures, especially as the U.S. continues to impose a 50pct steel tariff, despite a recent agreement with Korea to reduce mutual and automotive tariffs to 15pct.
