China decides to export 18,700 tons of urea solution to S. Korea

The Chinese government notified the South Korean government that it will export 18,700 tons of urea solution contracted with South Korean companies. It is enough to cover two to three months of domestic demand. About 10,000 tons of urea for cars among the amount to be exported by China will arrive in South Korea as early as the end of this month or the beginning of the next month. It will resolve the shortage of urea solution in the short term, however, it still remains uncertain whether urea solution will be imported smoothly from China in the future as the country has not suspended its inspection system of urea solution before export.

“After communicating with the Chinese government through various channels to accelerate the import of Chinese urea solution, it has been confirmed that the amount previously contracted with South Korean companies will be imported normally,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. As it takes about two weeks from an application for pre-export inspection to its completion, the contracted amount will arrive in South Korea at the end of this month or the beginning of the next month. The ministry also added that applications had been submitted already for 7,100 tons out of 18,700 tons, and 300 tons imported by a company for automobiles have completed an inspection and will arrive in South Korea next week.

However, as China has practically put a brake on its urea solution export, securing supply won’t go back to normal completely. “It is a short-term normalization of the export process,” said a member of the ministry.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com