Home > Business > Industry

Trade commission proposes antidumping tariffs on industrial robots from Japan and China

Published: 26 Mar. 2026, 19:19

Boston Dynamics Atlas robots are displayed at the Hyundai Motor Group booth during CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 6. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Korea's trade watchdog said Thursday it has decided to impose antidumping tariffs of up to 19.85 percent on industrial robots imported from Japan and China, citing damage to the domestic industry.

The Korea Trade Commission (KTC) will recommend to the finance minister the imposition of antidumping duties ranging from 17.45 to 18.64 percent on Japanese products and 15.96 to 19.85 percent on Chinese products, according to its officials.

The move follows a petition filed in March 2025 by HD Hyundai Robotics, which alleged that companies including Japan's Fanuc and Yaskawa Electric, as well as China-based Kuka Robotics Guangdong, ABB Engineering Shanghai and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, sold vertically articulated industrial robots with four or more axes in Korea at unfairly low prices.

The KTC has been imposing provisional antidumping duties of 21.17 to 43.6 percent on the products since November of last year.

“We have conducted an investigation since [last] May, including overseas on-site inspections and visits to domestic demand industries, and determined the level of antidumping duties based on our findings,” a KTC official said.

The robots are used in a wide range of applications, including automobile body assembly and welding, logistics packaging, metal cutting and drilling and chemical mixing.

Meanwhile, the commission reported the launch of four new investigations during Thursday's meeting, including a review of intermediate materials for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from China and a case involving alleged unfair trade practices related to patent infringement in electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries.

In the case of Chinese PET products, antidumping duties of 7 to 7.98 percent have been imposed since November 2024. Domestic firms, however, have requested a review amid increased imports and changes in market conditions.

The KTC also held a public hearing on the impact of imports of PVC paste resin from Germany, France, Norway and Sweden on the domestic industry, the officials added.

Yonhap