EU tariffs accelerate Korean tire makers' China exit

The European Union's latest anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese-made tires are poised to accelerate a strategic realignment across Korea's tire industry, prompting local manufacturers to curb their production reliance on China as geopolitical risks increasingly reshape global supply chains.

Under the latest regulatory measure, Hankook Tire received an anti-dumping duty of 4.3 percent, while Kumho Tire and Nexen Tire were each hit with a 24.4 percent levy.

The effective tariff burden rises to 8.8 percent for Hankook and 28.9 percent for its domestic rivals, after calculating the EU’s existing 4.5 percent import tariff.

The disparity reflects years of divergent manufacturing strategies rather than differences in product competitiveness.

Hankook Tire established a substantial European manufacturing base through its plant in Hungary, allowing it to supply much of the region's demand locally despite maintaining three production facilities in China.

The firm's strong regional production network has significantly reduced its exposure to the new trade measures from the EU.

Kumho Tire, by contrast, ...