Home > Business > Industry

Hankook Tire's U.S. subsidiary files lawsuit seeking tariff refund

Published: 29 Jan. 2026, 15:33 Updated: 29 Jan. 2026, 18:14

SARAH CHEA
[email protected]

Hankook Tire & Technology's Tennessee plant [HANKOOK TIRE & TECHNOLOGY]

Hankook Tire and Technology's U.S. subsidiary filed a lawsuit against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seeking a refund of tariffs, as the Supreme Court has yet to rule on the legality of the country-specific duties imposed under U.S. President Donald Trump.
Under the complaint, Hankook Tire asked the Court of International Trade to prevent CBP from imposing additional tariffs on the company’s imported products and to order a full refund of tariffs already paid.

The tariffs, levied by Trump on Korea and other countries under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), were previously ruled unlawful by both district and appellate courts and are now pending review by the Supreme Court.

Hankook Tire has reportedly said in its filing that even if the Supreme Court ultimately finds the IEEPA-based tariffs unlawful, there is no assurance the company would receive a refund without obtaining relief through a separate, company-specific lawsuit, prompting it to bring the case.

LS Cable & System’s U.S. subsidiary also filed a similar lawsuit in early December last year.

Hanwha Q Cells and Harman International, a Samsung Electronics auto parts subsidiary, also submitted complaints, though they later voluntarily withdrew their suits, according to multiple local reports.

The lawsuits filed by Hankook Tire and LS Cable & System have also not advanced beyond the filing stage, as the U.S. Court of International Trade ordered that all newly-filed tariff refund cases be automatically stayed pending the Supreme Court’s decision.

BY SARAH CHEA [[email protected]]