South Korea EPDM Exports to China See Notable Increment
Introduction: South Korea remains one of the world’s major exporters of EPDM, with the export volume showing a slight increase during January-April 2025. China, India, and Southeast Asia continue to be the primary destinations, while exports to the U.S. and Europe declined YoY.
According to data released by Korea Customs Service, South Korea’s EPDM exports reached 69,000mt in January-April 2025, a 3.37% increase year on year. This growth was driven by stable production at Kumho and LVE plants, which maintained high operating rates. Notably, Kumho’s new 70kt/a unit commenced operations, further boosting total export volume.
South Korea’s EPDM exports showed little year-on-year change, primarily concentrated in China, India, and Southeast Asian countries. China’s stable domestic demand, coupled with persistently high USD-denominated prices, has incentivized South Korea to increase EPDM exports to the Chinese market.
In the first four months of 2025, South Korea’s EPDM exports maintained stable overall destination patterns while showing variations across trade partners. China remained the top destination, with exports totaling 25,400mt, a 29% YoY increase. India ranked second with 7,500mt, up 1% YoY. Together, these two markets accounted for 47.65% of South Korea’s total EPDM exports, representing nearly half of all shipments. This export pattern demonstrates that China and India continue to serve as the primary demand anchors for South Korea’s EPDM.
In terms of trade volumes with Europe and the United States, South Korea’s EPDM exports to the U.S. totaled 4,600mt during January-April 2025, a 5% YoY decline, while exports to Germany fell by 17% during the same period. For Southeast Asia, exports to Thailand decreased by 14% YoY. Although the region boasts abundant labor resources and relatively low labor costs, which have attracted some Chinese industries to relocate in recent years, its limited local capacity has led to heavy reliance on imports, as domestic supply fails to meet market demand.
From January to April 2025, China’s domestic demand for EPDM remained relatively stable at satisfactory levels. Compared with other countries and regions, China’s downstream operating rates maintained a relatively favorable position. Automobile production and sales data reflects this stable end-market performance. From January to May 2025, China produced and sold 12.826 million and 12.748 million vehicles respectively, representing YoY growth of 12.7% and 10.9%. During the same period, automobile exports reached 2.49 million units, up 7.9% YoY. The strong performance of the automotive sector - the largest downstream market for EPDM - continues to provide robust demand-side support. Consequently, China remains the primary demand market for South Korea, a major EPDM exporter. However, Kumho’s unit maintenance in May 2025 is expected to lead to a slight reduction in South Korea’s EPDM exports to China.
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