Exporting to South Korea: what it imports and how to enter
South Korea reported 508 billion USD of imports across the 15 chapters it buys most (2025). The top three are mineral fuels, electrical machinery and…
Published on 27 September 2026Updated on 29 September 2026Exporting from Spain
South Korea reported 508 billion USD of imports across the 15 chapters it buys most (2025). The top three are mineral fuels, electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof and machinery and mechanical appliances. It sits outside the European Union: every shipment clears customs and the duty depends on your heading.
Fact sheet
- Code
- KR
- European Union
- No
Most imported chapters
USD · 2025| Chapter | Imports (USD) |
|---|---|
| 27 · Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their… | 140,092,305,192 |
| 85 · Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound… | 127,534,844,885 |
| 84 · Machinery and mechanical appliances, boilers, nuclear… | 74,711,633,690 |
| 90 · Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring… | 24,756,699,229 |
| 26 · Ores, slag and ash | 20,841,393,306 |
| 87 · Vehicles; other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and… | 20,605,562,232 |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | 13,615,920,966 |
| 39 · Plastics and articles thereof | 13,333,714,623 |
| 71 · Natural, cultured pearls; precious, semi-precious stones… | 13,233,780,489 |
| 72 · Iron and steel | 11,834,663,055 |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals; organic and inorganic compounds of… | 10,313,728,657 |
| 38 · Chemical products n.e.c. | 9,945,402,662 |
| 30 · Pharmaceutical products | 9,746,997,840 |
| 76 · Aluminium and articles thereof | 9,134,221,393 |
| 74 · Copper and articles thereof | 8,218,624,215 |
Imports declared by each country from the world. Countries report with a delay: the period is the latest with consolidated data.
Source: UN ComtradeData for 2025Verified on 29 September 2026
What South Korea buys
The chapter South Korea imports most is mineral fuels, at 140 billion USD in 2025, followed by electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof (128 billion USD) and machinery and mechanical appliances (75 billion USD). Demand is concentrated: the first chapter accounts for more than a quarter of what the table adds up to, so volumes fall away quickly outside it.
The table ranks two-digit chapters, which are broad product families. To judge whether this market fits you, you need to go down to your six-digit heading: within one chapter sit products with very different demand, duties and requirements. If you do not know yours, look it up in the HS Code finder.
Three things are worth checking before you quote, and none can be assumed: the duty applied to your heading, whether a preferential agreement between the European Union and South Korea lowers it, and which certificates or controls your product faces on arrival. All three are looked up by heading and country in Access to Markets, the European Commission's official tool.
Frequently asked questions
What does South Korea import?
In 2025, its largest imports by chapter were mineral fuels, electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof and machinery and mechanical appliances. The table on this page lists the top 15 with the reported figure for each, according to UN Comtrade.
What duty will I pay?
It depends on your tariff heading and on the agreement in force, not on the country in the abstract: two products in the same chapter can pay different rates. Look it up heading by heading in Access to Markets, with Spain as origin and South Korea as destination.
Where do I start if I do not have a tariff heading?
By finding it: it is the field the duty, the entry requirements and the trade statistics all hang from. The first six digits are common to every country applying the Harmonized System. You can search for yours in the HS Code finder and confirm it with your customs agent, who is the one answerable for the classification.
Does this data mean there is demand for my product?
It means that chapter enters the country, and in what volume, which is the first filter. It does not say at what price, through which channel or against which competitors, and those three decide whether the deal works. The figure is from 2025: countries report with a lag, so it is for comparing markets against each other, not for forecasting next month.
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