Korea Trade Commission Sets Hearing on Chinese and Taiwanese Solid Sodium Hydroxide

The Korea Trade Commission will hold a public hearing on 26 November 2026 on the domestic industry injury investigation into solid sodium hydroxide from China and Taiwan, according to a notice published in the Republic of Korea’s official gazette. The session is scheduled from 14:00 to 16:00 in Room 551 of Building 13-1 of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy at the Government Sejong Complex in Sejong. Interested parties have until 29 October 2026 to apply to take part.

The notice, 무역위원회공고 제2026-17호 (Trade Commission Notice No. 2026-17), was issued by the 무역위원회위원장 (Chairperson of the Korea Trade Commission) on 15 October 2026 and appears in the notices section of 관보 제21340호 (Official Gazette No. 21340) at page 316. It states that the hearing concerns the Commission’s investigation into injury to the domestic industry from solid sodium hydroxide originating in China and Taiwan, and sets out who may attend, how to apply and how statements must be filed.

The Commission is the body that conducts trade remedy investigations in Korea, and the same gazette’s notices section carries its other case announcements, including 무역위원회공고 제2026-15호 on ethyl acetate from China and 무역위원회공고 제2026-16호 on seamless steel pipes from China. The sodium hydroxide hearing gives producers, importers, users and exporters a formal opportunity to state their positions in the investigation.

Hearing Schedule and Who May Attend

The notice fixes the hearing for Thursday 26 November 2026, from 14:00 to 16:00, and warns that the time and place may change, with any change to be posted on the Commission’s website. The venue is Room 551 of Building 13-1 of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, at 402 Hannuri-daero, Government Sejong Complex, Sejong.

According to the notice, the following may attend:

• Representatives and agents of domestic producers, domestic importers, domestic users and foreign exporters.
• Representatives of related organisations.
• Officials of related government ministries.
• Officials of the exporting countries’ governments.

Application Deadline and Attendance Rules

Applications must reach the Commission by Thursday 29 October 2026 and must include proof that the applicant is an interested party, a summary of the statement to be made, and personal details, including those of any witnesses or referees. The notice states that approval may be limited depending on interested-party status and the number of places available.

Attendance by the interested party in person, or by its representative, is the rule. If that is impossible, a proxy may attend and speak, provided a power of attorney, the reason for the absence and the proxy’s personal details are submitted at least five days before the hearing.

Statements, Language and Access to Documents

Statements must be written in Korean, on no more than 10 A4 pages in vertical format, and submitted as word-processor and PDF files, with supporting evidence attached. Where a statement contains trade secrets, a public version must be filed alongside the confidential version.

Participants may submit supplementary written material on points left incomplete at the hearing within seven days afterwards. Statements must be made in Korean; foreign participants may speak through an interpreter, and any foreign-language material must be accompanied by a Korean translation.

Materials submitted to the Commission may be inspected by interested parties only if they are not trade secrets, and only after a written request setting out the reasons and the list of documents sought.

Where to Apply

• Postal address: (30118) Industry Injury Investigation Division, Korea Trade Commission, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Government Sejong Complex, 402 Hannuri-daero, Sejong.
• Telephone: (044) 203-5863.
• Fax: (044) 203-4815.
• Email: bludawn@korea.go.kr, for both confidential and public versions of statements.

The hearing matters to everyone in the solid sodium hydroxide supply chain, from domestic producers seeking protection to importers and industrial users facing the prospect of measures. The 29 October application deadline is the binding date: parties that do not register may lose the chance to be heard, and the notice warns that approval may be refused depending on status and capacity. For those affected, the November session is the point at which their evidence enters the Commission’s record.

Source: 관보 (Republic of Korea Official Gazette), No. 21340, 15 October 2026, notices, p. 316 (official reference: 무역위원회공고 제2026-17호).