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Asia Pacific

Shipping from China to South Korea

China → South Korea · clearance by Korea Customs Service (관세청)

Freight forwarding from China to South Korea, South Korea — container and air cargo handling
Cargo handling on the China–South Korea lane.

We move freight cargo from South China into South Korea through KWJ air / Gwangyang sea. South Korea is served through Busan, Incheon, Gwangyang, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.

Clearance itself is handled by Korea Customs Service (관세청), and typical dwell at the gateway runs 1–3 days.

Routing and transit on this lane

Korea is the shortest sea lane from North China — Qingdao or Weihai to Incheon can be 2–3 days, and the sea-air combination via Incheon is a well-established cost saver for cargo continuing to Europe or the Americas. The China–Korea FTA cuts duty on a large share of manufactured goods if the origin certificate is prepared correctly.

Air gateways usedICN (Incheon), PUS (Busan Gimhae)
Air transit, China to gateway1–3 business days
Sea gateways usedBusan, Incheon, Gwangyang
Sea transit, China to gateway2–5 calendar days
Gateway serving South KoreaKWJ air / Gwangyang sea
Inland leg to South KoreaSame day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell1–3 days
Peak season to plan aroundSep–Nov

Delivery cities in South Korea

Principal delivery points: Seoul, Incheon, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, Ulsan. Pick a city for the gateway it uses and the inland leg beyond clearance.

Gwangyang The southern industrial port serving the steel belt KWJ air / Gwangyang sea · inland same day Seoul Capital and the dominant consumer market ICN air / Incheon sea · inland same day Incheon Port and airport city with the shortest inland leg ICN air / Incheon sea · inland same day Busan The country's largest port and transshipment hub PUS air / Busan sea · inland same day Gyeonggi The industrial province surrounding Seoul ICN air / Incheon sea · inland same day Daegu Textile and machinery manufacturing center ICN air / Busan sea · inland +1 day Daejeon Research and technology corridor ICN air / Incheon sea · inland same day Gwangju South-western industrial city ICN air / Gwangyang sea · inland +1 day Ulsan Shipbuilding, automotive and petrochemical base PUS air / Ulsan sea · inland +1 day Changwon Machinery and precision manufacturing cluster PUS air / Busan sea · inland same day Cheonan Display and semiconductor supply corridor ICN air / Pyeongtaek sea · inland same day
Container yard operations used on the China to South Korea (South Korea) freight lane
Consolidation and handling before departure for South Korea.

Import duty and tax position for South Korea

Imports into South Korea are cleared by Korea Customs Service (관세청). The headline position is: VAT 10%; duty 8% general rate, with reductions under the China–Korea FTA on a valid certificate of origin. The de-minimis threshold is USD 150.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: KC certification for electrical and radio products; personal customs clearance code (PCCC) required for every B2C consignee. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for South Korea: Every B2C shipment needs the consignee's PCCC — missing codes are the single largest cause of held parcels. KC certification is mandatory for electricals. Food and cosmetics require MFDS clearance held by a local importer.

Air, sea or overland into South Korea?

ModeTransit to gatewayBest suited to
✈️ Air Freight1–3 business daystime-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight2–5 calendar daysvolume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the South Korea gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to South Korea and 1–3 days of clearance.

What to sort out before the cargo leaves China

  • Check the de-minimis position (USD 150) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
  • Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the South Korea lane.
  • Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the South Korea duty rate against it yourself.
  • Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
  • Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
  • Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to South Korea take?

China to the South Korea gateway is 1–3 business days by air, 2–5 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 1–3 days of clearance with Korea Customs Service (관세청) and a same-day inland leg to South Korea.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into South Korea?

Korea Customs Service (관세청) applies: VAT 10%; duty 8% general rate, with reductions under the China–Korea FTA on a valid certificate of origin. The de-minimis position is USD 150. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in South Korea.

Can you deliver door-to-door in South Korea?

Yes. Delivery to a South Korea address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Korea Customs Service (관세청), and the same-day inland leg. Confirm whether your consignee wants the goods at a warehouse, a marketplace fulfillment center or a shop front, because the last-mile requirement differs.

Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into South Korea?

Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 2–5 calendar days by sea versus 1–3 business days by air to the South Korea gateway, before clearance and the same-day inland leg. The crossover point is normally somewhere between 100 and 300 kg depending on the density of your cargo.

When is the busiest time on the China–South Korea lane?

Space and rates tighten around Sep–Nov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year in January or February and Golden Week in early October. Book one to two weeks earlier in those periods.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to South Korea?

Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via ICN (Incheon), PUS (Busan Gimhae). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for South Korea change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with Korea Customs Service (관세청) or your broker before you ship.

Page data last reviewed: 10 月 2026.

Shipping by industry

This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending — these guides cover that by commodity.

All 60 industry guides →

Checking the South Korea duty position yourself

Treat the landed-cost numbers here as a planning baseline. Korea Customs Service sets the rate that actually gets charged, assessed against your HS classification at the moment of clearance, so their own guidance is worth reading before a large order.

If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name — the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.

For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.

On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.

If this is your first shipment into South Korea, the South Korea Country Commercial Guide covers the practical import environment in more depth than a rate page reasonably can, and it is written by a party with no stake in your booking.

Watch: the process behind this route

This guide covers routing and clearance for South Korea. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

Sea Freight Shipping Process for Beginners: Complete Factory-to-Door Guide (Every Step Explained) — Vixnk - English. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.

Get a rate for South Korea

This lane is quoted per shipment rather than from a rate card: the landed cost depends on the commodity, its density, the conformity requirements above and the delivery point. Send the cargo details and we price it properly.

Answer these and you get a real price, not a range. These are the exact figures a carrier needs before it will quote. Fill them in once and we can price your cargo the same day — leave them out and we have to come back and ask, which is what turns an hour into a week.

kg
ctn
Carton sizeoptional
× × cm
m³
ctr
Built-in battery?* Lithium cells are dangerous goods.
Someone else's brand?* Logos you are not authorised to ship.
Magnetic product?* Speakers, motors, magnets.
Why these three decide everything

They determine whether your cargo can fly, and on which service. A declared battery changes the price; an undeclared one grounds the shipment at the airport and you pay storage while it sits. Unauthorised brands are seized at customs and the freight is lost with them. Magnetic goods need a field test — routine, but it has to be booked ahead. Telling us now costs a click; telling us later costs the shipment.

Sea or air?*
Tick both and we quote both.
When should it move?optional
Photographs of the goodsoptional
    Your details are used to prepare this quotation and nothing else.

    See the South Korea route page →

    Customs clearance in South Korea

    Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.

    South Korea clearance requirements →

    Priced routes to South Korea