S. Korean billet imports bounce back in July
South Korea's billet imports show an overall downward trend in the first seven months of the year due to the weak demand for the country's construction steel products. South Korea's billet imports amounted to 373'190 tons in the first seven months of the year, down 8.3 percent from a year earlier. However, there are signs that the trend may be due for a reversal, as July alone accounted for nearly a quarter of all imports during that period. South Korea imported a total of 96'510 tons of billets during July. 58'930 tons came from Japan, with another 28'610 tons originating from China.