Trade Commission Recommends Anti-Dumping Duties on Particle Board from Thailand and Sodium Hydrosulfite from China

Provisional Tariffs on Industrial Robots and Fiberboard
Fine Imposed for Patent Infringement on Implant Drill Sets

The Korea Trade Commission under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on September 25 that it has decided to impose anti-dumping duties and sanctions for unfair trade practices on a total of five cases, including particle board from Thailand and sodium hydrosulfite from China.

The Trade Commission first decided to recommend to the Minister of Economy and Finance the imposition of anti-dumping duties of 12.87% to 33.97% on sodium hydrosulfite from China and 13.03% to 15.18% on particle board from Thailand for the next five years. These cases were initiated by Hansol Chemical and the Korea Plywood Board Association, respectively, and the investigation confirmed that the domestic industry suffered substantial damage due to dumped imports.

In addition, the Trade Commission made a preliminary determination that there is a causal relationship between dumped imports and domestic injury for industrial robots from Japan and China (21.17% to 43.60%) and fiberboard from Thailand (11.92% to 19.43%). Accordingly, it recommended the imposition of provisional anti-dumping duties during the main investigation period to prevent further damage.

Furthermore, in a case filed by Huais IP Holdings regarding alleged patent infringement of implant drill sets, the commission determined that part of the patent rights had been infringed, and imposed a fine of approximately 42 million won along with an order to cease export and manufacturing activities.

Additionally, the Trade Commission reported the initiation of an anti-dumping investigation into seamless copper pipes from Thailand and a trademark infringement investigation related to cosmetic containers. The commission stated, "We will conduct prompt and fair investigations into cases of unfair trade practices such as dumping, in order to remedy damage to domestic industries and establish a fair trade order."