South Korea runs one of the world's most competitive, export-oriented petrochemical industries, with producers such as LG Chem, Lotte Chemical and Hanwha shipping resin worldwide. It is a familiar non-EU source of the polyethylene the EU imports — the polymer behind films, pipes, bottles and packaging.
The panel below pulls the latest official figures from Eurostat: how many tonnes of polyethylene the EU imported from South Korea in the most recent reported month, the total value, the implied customs unit value in euros per tonne (a declared trade average, not a spot market price), the year-on-year change, and South Korea's share of all the polyethylene the EU imports from outside the bloc.
The tariff advantage
Thanks to the EU–South Korea free-trade agreement (in force since 2011), South Korean polyethylene generally enters the EU duty-free (0%) instead of paying the standard 6.5% most-favoured-nation rate that applies to origins without an agreement. That preference is a genuine cost edge for Korean resin versus Gulf suppliers such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the UAE, which still pay the full 6.5% — one reason FTA status is worth watching alongside the headline price. Rules-of-origin conditions apply, and the exact rate for a given 10-digit code should be confirmed in the EU's official TARIC database.
How this page is built
Every number here is computed live in your browser from Eurostat's COMEXT trade database (EU trade since 1988 by CN product code), reused under the European Commission's free-reuse terms with attribution. "Extra-EU" means trade with countries outside the EU. Figures are indicative and are not spot, contract or settlement prices. MatQuo is an analytical tool, not investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is South Korea a major polyethylene supplier to the EU?
Yes — its export-focused petrochemical sector makes it a notable non-EU source. The live figures above show its latest tonnes, value and share.
What tariff applies to Korean polyethylene?
Generally 0% under the EU–Korea FTA, versus the 6.5% MFN rate for non-FTA origins. Confirm in TARIC.
How fresh is the data?
Eurostat publishes monthly trade with roughly a two-month lag; this page always shows the latest available month.
See also: Polyethylene (PE) overview · EU polyethylene import tariff by country · EU polyethylene import statistics.