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Customs agency to ease rules for U.S. naval maintenance to accommodate demand

Published: 13 Mar. 2026, 14:02

Lee Myung-ku, the commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, fourth from right, is seen posing for a photo with representatives from the shipbuilding industry at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan on March 12. [YONHAP]

The customs agency said on Friday that it plans to ease customs rules for the maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) of U.S. naval vessels at domestic shipyards to accommodate an increase in orders.

The plan came after Lee Myung-ku, the commissioner of the Korea Customs Service (KCS), met with representatives from the local shipbuilding industry in Ulsan, some 401 kilometers (249 miles) south of Seoul, on Thursday, according to the agency.

The agency plans to allow shipbuilders doing MRO work on U.S. battleships at regular piers to receive the same tax benefits as those conducted at bonded factories or licensed areas where shippers are allowed to use raw materials from overseas without having to pay duties imposed on them.

The KCS also seeks to expand permits to allow shippers to store large raw materials, such as steel plates, outside bonded factories while simplifying procedures related to inventory management of such items.

Yonhap