Signal Korea ranks fourth in US circumvention cases and logged 192 illegal rerouting cases in five years

Summary

US Customs and Border Protection statistics under the Enforce and Protect Act show circumvention exports to the US via major Southeast Asian economies surging after Section 301 tariffs on China. Of 261 cases of Chinese goods reaching the US indirectly, Malaysia accounted for 77, Thailand 33 and India 25, with Korea fourth at 21. Korea's customs service reports 192 cases of illegal circumvention worth 794.9 billion won over the past five years. Rerouting through Korea increasingly aims to escape country-specific US reciprocal tariffs and import restrictions rather than to exploit the Korean-origin premium. The report cites these figures in arguing that Korea must strengthen measures so that its economy is not harmed by Chinese circumvention.