Seoul finds US-bound bogus ‘Made in Korea’ goods
SEOUL—South Korea has found rising attempts to disguise foreign products as Korean exports, mostly from China, to avoid US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, its customs agency said on Monday.
The Korea Customs Service said it has found 29.5 billion won ($20.81 million) worth of country-of-origin violations from the first quarter, with US-bound shipments accounting for 97 percent of the total, after a special probe last month.
That compared to a total of 34.8 billion won worth of violations for all of 2024.
South Korean officials have said there could be a rise in attempts by foreign companies, such as those in neighboring China, to use South Korea, which is a major US ally and has a free-trade pact, as a bypass to avoid tariffs and regulations.
