SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade commission said Monday it has started a preliminary anti-dumping investigation into uncoated papers imported from China, Indonesia and Brazil.

The Korea Trade Commission (KTC) under the industry ministry said it launched the investigation at the request of Hankuk Paper Co., a local producer, which claimed that cheap imports caused substantial damage to its business.

The KTC will carry out an inspection for the next three months to decide whether to set preliminary anti-dumping duties, which will be followed by a 90-day additional probe for a final determination of tariff rates.

Products from the three nations account for about 40 percent of the South Korean market for uncoated paper, estimated at 400 billion won (US$352.8 million) as of 2017, according to the trade ministry.

Uncoated papers are commonly used in letterhead, printing and other office stationery.