The U.S. Commerce Department has said certain Vietnamese steel products using South Korean substrate circumvented U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

"We determine that exports to the United States of CORE produced in Vietnam from HRS or CRS substrate manufactured in Korea are circumventing the Korea CORE Orders," the department said in final affirmative determinations of circumvention posted on the Federal Register on Dec. 26, referring to corrosion-resistant steel products (CORE), carbon hot-rolled steel (HRS) and cold-rolled steel flat products (CRS).

"We therefore find it appropriate to determine that this merchandise falls within the Korea CORE Orders, and to instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to continue to suspend liquidation of any entries of CORE from Vietnam produced using HRS or CRS substrate manufactured in Korea."

In June 2018, Nucor Corporation and four other U.S. steel companies filed a petition, asking the Commerce Department to initiate anti-circumvention inquiries into Vietnamese steel products that use South Korean substrate.

Source: Yonhap News Agency