S. Korean postal service to halt U.S. shipments over tariff exemption removal
The national postal service said Thursday it will stop accepting packages bound for the United States starting next week in line with a U.S. suspension of a duty-free policy for international shipments, Yonhap reports.
The move comes as the U.S. is set to end the so-called de minimis exemption, under which low-cost parcels from overseas valued at US$800 or less can be shipped to the country without tariffs. All international shipments will face a 15 percent tariff starting Aug. 29.
The postal service will stop receiving U.S.-bound air freight packages starting Monday and all parcels shipped via the Express Mail Service (EMS) starting Tuesday. The move does not affect shipments of documents and correspondence.
Customers will still be able to send packages to the U.S. via the premium EMS service, which imposes tariffs on the recipient.
The postal service vowed to draw up measures to minimize customer inconvenience and urged people planning to send parcels to the U.S. to thoroughly prepare necessary shipping documents.
Earlier, South Korea announced the introduction of mandatory breaks for workers during heat waves.