The United States on Tuesday said South Korean companies were importing a resin used in making plastics at less than fair value. The Commerce Department finding vindicated a complaint lodged by the Eastman Chemical Company, a major US producer of specialty plastics. An anti-dumping investigation by the department determined Korean imports of Dioctyl terephthalate, or DOTP, had been sold in the United States at prices between 2.7 and four percent below fair value.
 

US Customs agents have been instructed to collect cash payments based on the determination.
US imports of the product from South Korea amounted to $32.5 million last year.
Part of a group of products known as plasticizers, the compound is a viscous liquid used to make resins more flexible and easier to turn into plastics, according to the department. The Commerce Department is due to make a final determination on the extent of harm caused to US producers by August 3.