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Post Office. Photo = Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] SEOUL, Aug. 21 — Korea Post announced today that it will suspend acceptance of international mail bound for the United States beginning August 25, in response to the U.S. government’s decision to abolish its de minimis duty exemption on small-value imports.
Under the new U.S. policy, effective August 29, all inbound mail items other than documents and letters will require customs declaration and will be subject to a 15 percent tariff, regardless of value. The long-standing $800 duty-free threshold will no longer apply.
As a result, Korea Post will halt acceptance of U.S.-bound airmail parcels from August 25, and from August 26, EMS (Express Mail Service) shipments will be limited to documents only. Any items that cannot arrive in the United States before the new policy takes effect will not be accepted.
To provide alternatives, Korea Post advised customers to use EMS Premium, a service operated in partnership with private courier companies, where customs clearance is handled on behalf of the sender. In this case, tariffs will be borne by the recipient. EMS Premium is available at post offices nationwide, with costs that may exceed those of standard EMS depending on the route.
Korea Post emphasized its commitment to minimizing customer inconvenience:
“Customers planning to send mail items to the United States must ensure accurate declaration of product value and purpose, and prepare all required documents, including invoices,” the agency said.
Cho Hae-geun, President of Korea Post, added: “We will closely monitor developments and swiftly introduce supplementary measures to ease the inconvenience to the public.”
알파경제 Kim Jisun (stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
