South Korea’s non-ferrous scrap imports rose 11pc for aluminum but declined 2pc for copper in H1 2021, compared with the same months in 2020 according to the country’s Customs data.
Aluminum scrap imports stood at 525,108mt from January to June compared to 475,143mt during the same period last year while copper scrap imports decreased to 167,974mt from 171,043mt within the same time frame.
Aluminum Scrap
In June, aluminum imports rose 1pc to 86,330mt from 85,307mt in the prior-year period and were almost flat from 86,335mt in May.
The US remained the largest exporter of aluminum scrap to South Korea, despite a 26pc decline in shipments from the country to 18,002mt in June when compared to 24,257mt in the same month of 2020. Japan was in second place, despite a 19pc decline to 9,351mt from 11,578mt within the same period.
Copper Scrap
South Korea’s copper scrap imports rose by 31pc in June to 29,746mt from 22,655mt in the same month last year.
The US was the largest exporter of copper scrap also to South Korea, despite a 6pc drop to 5,254mt in June from 5,592mt in June 2020. Saudi Arabia was the second-largest copper scrap exporter to the country with a 346pc increase to 2,386mt from 535mt in the same time frame.