From February 1 to February 26 this year, South Korea imported 81,000 mt of H-beam from China, with a total of 90,000 mt expected to be reached before the end of February, as reported by South Korean media sources.
Accordingly, in the first two months of 2012 South Korea's H-beam imports from China are expected to reach 144,000 mt, compared with 18,824 mt, 112,518 mt and 89,838 mt respectively in the corresponding periods of 2009, 2010 and 2011.
In the first two months of the current year, Chinese H-beam suppliers have sought more orders from the South Korean market as their own domestic market demand has been low. However, South Korean steelmakers including Hyundai Steel and Dongkuk Steel are reported to be taking measures to respond to the competition from imports.