Tariffs on Lithium Battery Imports

The Korean Trade Commission (KTC) has made a preliminary anti-dumping ruling on primary lithium battery imports from Japan and the United States.

Under the wing of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, the KTC conducted anti-dumping investigations last July following a complaint by local lithium battery manufacturer Vitzrocell that batteries from Japan and the U.S. had been imported at prices below the fair-market value.

In the preliminary ruling, the KTC said it would impose 130% and 34.28% anti-dumping duties, respectively, on Japanese and U.S. imports.

However, instead of referring the case to the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the KTC said it would conduct on-the-spot inspections of local, Japanese and U.S. manufacturers for three months, through May 2004, before it makes a final ruling.

The domestic market was estimated at 6.8 billion won (US$5.78 million) annually last year, of which imports accounted for 89.9%