According to provisional customs data, South Korea imported 1.85 million mt of ferrous scrap in Q1 2019 compared to 1.52 million mt in the same period the previous year, a 22 percent increase. Q1 2019 levels were higher than any other quarter in 2018, when Q2 2018 was 1.59 million mt, Q3 2018 was 1.53 million mt, and Q4 2018 dipped to 1.49 million mt. Compared to the previous quarter, Q1 2019 scrap imports increased 24 percent.
For Q1 2019, South Korea imported 1.16 million mt from Japan, 0.41 million mt from the US, 0.17 million mt from Russia and 0.11 million mt from other countries. Compared to Q4 2018, both Japan and US imports increased while Russian imports slightly decreased.