Seollal Holiday Essentials, Emergency Import Raw Materials ‘Fast-Tracked Clearance’
Support for Export Companies’ Financial Burden Alleviation and Price Stabilization
Customs Service will implement special measures to ensure smooth supply and uninterrupted import-export support during the Lunar New Year holiday, it announced on the 28th.
The special support measures include expediting the clearance of holiday essentials, urgent raw materials, and overseas direct purchase express items, supporting timely export cargo shipments, quick customs refunds, and disclosing import prices of agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products.
According to the measures, 34 customs offices nationwide will operate ‘Special Clearance Support Teams’ from the 2nd to the 18th of next month, running 24/7, including holidays and nighttime, upon prior temporary opening requests.
This aims to ensure the smooth domestic supply of holiday essentials and urgently imported raw materials without clearance delays and enhance inspections of imported food to preemptively block illegal or hazardous food.
Companies requesting export cargo shipment period extensions will be immediately handled to prevent penalties for non-shipment within the period.
In preparation for a surge in overseas direct purchase items, such as holiday gifts, ‘Express Item Special Clearance Support Teams’ will be organized at Incheon, Pyeongtaek, Gunsan, Yongdang, and Gimpo Airport Customs to support their rapid clearance.
A special customs refund support plan has also been set, designating the two weeks from the 2nd to the 13th of next month as the ‘Customs Refund Special Support’ period. During this period, the Customs Service will promptly pay export companies’ requested refunds on the same day and extend working hours (from 18:00 to 20:00) for requests made after bank close to ensure quick payment the next morning. Typically, refund payments take about two days.
The appropriateness of the refund will be reviewed after the holiday, with documentation for refund review kept to a minimum.
Additionally, starting from the 28th, the import prices of 89 key agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products, where holiday consumption increases, will be disclosed three times at weekly intervals to help stabilize consumer prices.
Customs Commissioner Myung-Gu Lee stated, “Managing the customs clearance site, which is directly linked to people’s livelihoods and prices, is the responsibility of the people’s sovereignty government,” and emphasized, “We will meticulously carry out the special support measures for the peak New Year’s period so that the public can feel the impact.”