Imports of rare earth materials from China plunge in Aug.

Korea's imports of rare earth materials from China plunged in August as Seoul reduced its reliance on the neighboring country by importing more from Japan, customs data showed Monday.

According to the data by the Korea Customs Service, Korea imported a total of 61 tons of rare earth materials from China last month, down 74.3 percent from a year earlier. It was also down 60.6 percent from July.

The decline was offset by increased imports from Japan. South Korea purchased 65 tons of such materials from Japan last month, more than a two-fold rise from the 31 tons tallied a year earlier. The figure also increased 29.8 percent from the previous month.

Imports of such materials from France also spiked to 46 tons from 39 tons a year earlier. In July, South Korea purchased just 7 tons from the European country.

Rare earth materials such as scandium and yttrium are mostly used in hybrid and electric vehicles, liquid crystal displays and other high-tech devices. South Korea has previously depended heavily on China for such materials. (Yonhap)