Change in US Customs Policy Leads to Suspension of International Delivery Services by the Post Office
Due to a change in US customs policy, the postal service in the Republic of Korea will gradually suspend packages and international express mail (EMS) shipments to the United States.
On the 21st, the Korea Post stated that it will stop accepting air parcel shipments to the US starting on the 25th, and from the 26th, it will suspend acceptance of all items at the post office, excluding documents for which customs duties are not imposed.
Currently, shipments to the US via maritime transport, which already take longer for delivery, are already suspended.
This move follows an executive order issued by the Trump administration on the 30th of last month, which abolished the "de minimis exemption" policy.
Previously, the US exempted customs duties on items valued at less than $800 (approximately 1,118,000 KRW) entering from abroad. However, this exemption was abolished due to concerns that it was being misused as a route for smuggling illegal drugs and counterfeit goods.
Starting from midnight on the 29th US time, all international mail, excluding documents arriving in the US, will be subject to declaration and a 15% customs duty will be imposed.
Alternative Services and Future Responses
The Korea Post stated that the current international mail system is insufficient to respond to the new US customs policy. However, consumers will not be completely unable to utilize the services.
Parcels can still be sent to the US through the “EMS Premium” service, which is operated in partnership with a private company. This service allows the operator to handle customs clearance, with customs duties being charged to the recipient in the US.
However, using such alternative services may lead to higher costs compared to existing postal services, and there may be longer delivery times, which is expected to cause confusion among consumers.
The Korea Post has announced plans to resolve the issue as quickly as possible through discussions with local companies to minimize inconvenience for the public.
Image source: AI image for understanding the article / Bing Image Creator, Photo = Insight.
