Korea Customs Service to run 24-hour clearance support ahead of Chuseok
Summary
The Korea Customs Service will run special clearance measures nationwide from Sept. 7-27 ahead of Chuseok to speed imports, support exporters and curb unsafe or illegal goods. It will also provide special refund support from Sept. 10-23, with same-day refunds generally available and extended evening processing after the bank cutoff. The agency will publish Chuseok-related import prices on Sept. 4, 11 and 18, and run a crackdown on mislabeled country-of-origin items from Aug. 31 to Sept. 23.
Key Facts
- Thirty-four customs offices will operate 24-hour special clearance teams, including at night and on holidays, from Sept. 7-27.
- Separate teams will handle direct overseas purchases at customs offices in Incheon, Pyeongtaek, Gunsan, Yongdang and Gimpo Airport.
- The agency will publish import prices for 89 key agricultural, livestock and seafood items three times, on Sept. 4, 11 and 18, through the trade statistics website.
- A special crackdown on mislabeled country-of-origin items will run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 23, targeting imported ritual and gift goods sold as pricier domestic products.
Korea Customs Service Commissioner Lee Jong-wook, right, conducts a ship inspection at the Incheon Port, Aug. 5. Courtesy of Korea Customs Service
The Korea Customs Service will roll out a package of special measures ahead of Chuseok, Korea's autumn holiday, to speed the supply of seasonal food items, ease import clearance and reduce the financial burden on exporters, the agency said.
From Sept. 7-27, 34 customs offices nationwide will operate 24-hour special clearance teams, including nights and holidays, to fast-track imports of holiday food staples and urgently needed raw materials, while stepping up inspections of imported food to block unsafe or illegal products.
Separate teams will handle the surge in direct overseas purchases — personal imports bought straight from foreign online retailers — at customs offices in Incheon, Pyeongtaek, Gunsan, Yongdang and Gimpo Airport.
To curb the stockpiling of items covered by tariff-rate quotas, such as frozen pork and fruit, the agency will impose penalty surcharges on delayed import declarations and step up inspections of bonded warehouses to ensure timely release of goods.
A "special customs refund support" period will run Sept. 10-23 to ease exporters' cash flow, with refunds generally paid the same day a claim is filed; for claims submitted after banks' 4 p.m. cutoff, staff will work extended hours until 8 p.m. so refunds can still go out the next business morning.
Detailed reviews of refund claims will be deferred until after the holiday, from Oct. 10. Small and midsize exporters with a clean compliance record may also qualify for payment deadline extensions of up to a year without collateral, or installment payments in up to six installments.
The agency will publish import prices for 89 key agricultural, livestock and seafood items in high demand during Chuseok — including items like corvina, beef ribs and sesame — three times, on Sept. 4, 11 and 18, through the trade statistics website, to help stabilize consumer prices.
From Aug. 31 to Sept. 23, customs will also run a special crackdown on mislabeled country-of-origin items, targeting imported ritual and gift goods sold as pricier domestic products, in joint operations with agricultural and fisheries quality agencies and local governments.
"We've prepared a range of support measures so citizens face no inconvenience with overseas purchases or import and export clearance during Chuseok," a Korea Customs Service official said.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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