South Korea Imposes Anti-Dumping Duties on Chinese Butyl Acrylate for Five Years

South Korea has imposed a definitive anti-dumping duty of 8.32% to 19.17% on butyl acrylate originating in China for the next five years, after the Korea Trade Commission found that dumped imports caused material injury to the domestic industry. The measure is enacted by Ministry of Economy and Finance Ordinance No. 50, promulgated in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea (Gwanbo) No. 21329 of 28 September 2026, and entered into force on the day of promulgation.

The ordinance is issued under Article 51 of the Customs Act, which allows an additional duty not exceeding the dumping margin when foreign goods are imported at dumped prices and cause, or threaten to cause, material injury to a domestic industry. According to the statement of reasons published with the rule, the Korea Trade Commission investigation into Chinese butyl acrylate began on 29 September 2025, and the Commission’s determination of injury to producers of the like product is the basis for the definitive duty.

Duty rates by supplier

The annex to the ordinance sets a different rate for each supplier covered by the measure:

• Taixing Sunke Chemicals Co., Ltd. and its related companies: 11.42%.
• Shanghai Huayi New Material Co., Ltd. and its related companies: 8.32%.
• Pinghu Petro Chemical Co., Ltd. and its related companies: 19.17%.
• All other suppliers: 18.69%.

A supplementary note states that where a supplier in the residual category has a special relationship, under Article 23(1) of the Enforcement Decree of the Customs Act, with a supplier listed in the first three categories, the rate applicable to that related supplier applies instead of the 18.69% residual rate.

From provisional duty to a five-year measure

The definitive duty closes a sequence of published steps:

• A provisional anti-dumping duty was imposed by Ministry of Economy and Finance Notice No. 2026-76, effective 22 April 2026, at provisional rates of 11.88% for Taixing Sunke Chemicals, 9.53% for Shanghai Huayi New Material, and 19.17% for Pinghu Petro Chemical and for all other suppliers.
• Ministry of Economy and Finance Notice No. 2026-96 of 5 August 2026 extended the provisional imposition period from 22 April–21 August 2026 to 22 April–27 September 2026, a total of five months and six days, under Article 66(3) of the Enforcement Decree of the Customs Act.
• The draft ordinance was notified for public comment by Ministry of Economy and Finance Notice No. 2026-241 of 1 September 2026, with submissions accepted until 16 September 2026 through the public participation portal or by letter to the anti-dumping duty team of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
• The definitive rule was promulgated on 28 September 2026, one day after the extended provisional period expired.

Scope of the measure

The duty applies to butyl acrylate from China falling under heading 2916.12.3000 of the combined tariff and statistical classification set out in Article 98(1) of the Enforcement Decree of the Customs Act. The ordinance designates both the goods and the suppliers subject to the duty and fixes the rate applicable to each, and it runs for five years from its entry into force. The rule was signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance.

The measure directly affects the cost base of South Korean chemical, coatings and adhesives manufacturers that buy Chinese butyl acrylate as a raw material, while giving domestic producers of the like product five years of tariff protection at rates that vary by more than ten percentage points depending on the Chinese supplier.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea (Gwanbo), No. 21329, 28 September 2026, section I (Ministerial Ordinances), p. 4 (official reference: Ministry of Economy and Finance Ordinance No. 50).