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East Asia

Export to South Korea

Industrial buyer of Indian naphtha, metals, chemicals and yarn. Food plants must register with MFDS first.

Capital
Seoul
Currency
KRW
Trade agreement with India
India–Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA); also APTA
1 January 2010
Main ports
Busan, Incheon, Gwangyang

Korea mostly buys industrial inputs from India — naphtha and petroleum products, iron and steel, aluminium, chemicals and cotton yarn. There is a smaller but growing market for Indian food, spices and sesame. Korean buyers care about specifications, certificates and fast responses.

India–Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA); also APTA

Korea gives reduced duties to many Indian goods under the CEPA. Talks to upgrade the CEPA have been going on since 2016 (11th round held in July 2024); confirm current status on commerce.gov.in.

What it buys from India

  • Naphtha and other petroleum products
  • Iron, steel, aluminium and other metals
  • Organic chemicals and cotton yarn
  • Sesame, spices and marine products

Import rules on their side

  • Foreign food factories must be registered with Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) before their products can be imported; each shipment is declared and may be tested.
  • Labels must be in Korean (a Korean sticker label is accepted for many products).
  • Electrical and children's products need KC certification.

Practical tips

  • Seoul Food is the main food trade show; KOTRA helps foreign suppliers meet importers.
  • Expect detailed quality agreements and testing of samples before a contract.
  • Payment by LC or telegraphic transfer is normal; Korean buyers are generally reliable payers.
Sources (5)
  1. Department of Commerce — Annual Report 2024-25 (trade agreements chapter)
  2. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Korea
  3. Korea Customs Service
  4. WTO — Regional Trade Agreements database
  5. Department of Commerce — TradeStat export-import data bank

Trade data

India’s exports to South Korea in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat (Indian financial years, April–March), the country’s imports from the world from UN Comtrade, and its basics from the World Bank.

India’s exports here, 2025-26
US$ 6.01 bn
No. 19 of our 30 countries
Change from 2024-25
↑ +3.3%
US$ 5.82 bn → US$ 6.01 bn
Share of all Indian exports
1.36%
Its imports from the world
US$ 631.7 bn
2024 · India’s share 1.02%
2020-21: US$ 4.68 bn4.7k2020-212021-22: US$ 8.09 bn8.1k2021-222022-23: US$ 6.65 bn6.7k2022-23n/a2023-242024-25: US$ 5.82 bn5.8k2024-252025-26: US$ 6.01 bn6.0k2025-26
India’s exports to South Korea, year by year · US$ million · TradeStat’s 2023-24 country table is double-counted, so it is not shown

What India sells here most

By HS chapter, 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1MachineryHS 84US$ 974 mn+8.4%
2Fuels and petroleum productsHS 27US$ 777 mn-20.3%
3Organic chemicalsHS 29US$ 648 mn-3.8%
4AluminiumHS 76US$ 585 mn-0.2%
5Iron and steelHS 72US$ 398 mn+1.4%
6LeadHS 78US$ 343 mn+23.3%
7CopperHS 74US$ 318 mn+302.5%
8Gems, jewellery, precious metalsHS 71US$ 187 mn+121%
9Electrical and electronicsHS 85US$ 180 mn-4.6%
10Vehicles and partsHS 87US$ 161 mn+11.1%
11CottonHS 52US$ 122 mn-11.3%
12Other chemical productsHS 38US$ 101 mn+16.9%

What is rising and what is falling

Chapters where India sells at least US$ 5 million. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

  1. CopperUS$ 79.1 mn → US$ 318 mn+302.5%
  2. Gems, jewellery, precious metalsUS$ 84.6 mn → US$ 187 mn+121%
  3. Fats and oilsUS$ 23.5 mn → US$ 36.6 mn+55.6%
  4. Coffee, tea, spicesUS$ 32.4 mn → US$ 48.9 mn+51%
  5. Jute and other plant fibresUS$ 24.5 mn → US$ 36.6 mn+49.1%
  6. LeadUS$ 278 mn → US$ 343 mn+23.3%
  7. Instruments, medical devicesUS$ 46.4 mn → US$ 56.3 mn+21.3%
  8. Iron and steel articlesUS$ 28.3 mn → US$ 33.4 mn+17.9%

Low demand

  1. Animal feed and food residuesUS$ 159 mn → US$ 86.8 mn-45.6%
  2. Inorganic chemicalsUS$ 92 mn → US$ 67.7 mn-26.5%
  3. Fuels and petroleum productsUS$ 976 mn → US$ 777 mn-20.3%
  4. CottonUS$ 137 mn → US$ 122 mn-11.3%
  5. Oilseeds and seedsUS$ 62.8 mn → US$ 56.3 mn-10.3%

Opportunity: what this country buys from the world, and from India

The country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, 2024. Chapters with the biggest gap between what it buys from the world and what it buys from India.

Fuels and petroleum productsUS$ 162.1 bnIndia 0.9% · gap US$ 160.6 bn
Electrical and electronicsUS$ 123.8 bnIndia 0.2% · gap US$ 123.6 bn
MachineryUS$ 66 bnIndia 0.5% · gap US$ 65.7 bn
Instruments, medical devicesUS$ 22.8 bnIndia 0.2% · gap US$ 22.8 bn
Vehicles and partsUS$ 19.8 bnIndia 0.9% · gap US$ 19.7 bn
OresUS$ 19.2 bnIndia 0.3% · gap US$ 19.1 bn
Iron and steelUS$ 14.2 bnIndia 3.2% · gap US$ 13.8 bn
Organic chemicalsUS$ 14.1 bnIndia 6% · gap US$ 13.3 bn
PlasticsUS$ 13.1 bnIndia 0.5% · gap US$ 13 bn
Inorganic chemicalsUS$ 12.2 bnIndia 0.8% · gap US$ 12.1 bn

Our product guides that sell here

India’s exports of each product to this country, 2025-26.

Name2025-26Change
1Auto parts and componentsUS$ 143 mn+11.3%
2Cotton yarnUS$ 76.1 mn-4.2%
3CoffeeUS$ 40.8 mn+69.4%
4Sesame seed (til)US$ 38.7 mn-9.5%
5Essential oilsUS$ 26.1 mn-2.6%
6Frozen shrimpUS$ 24.3 mn+7.1%
7FootwearUS$ 13.3 mn-9.8%
8Leather goods (bags, wallets, belts)US$ 9.5 mn+25%
9Iron and steel castingsUS$ 8.5 mn+8.2%
10Brass and art metalwareUS$ 230k-8%

The 20 biggest export lines

4-digit HS lines, 2025-26, with their Harmonized System descriptions.

Name2025-26Change
1Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crudeHS 2710US$ 767 mn-20.2%
2Turbo-jets, turbo-propellers and other gas turbinesHS 8411US$ 697 mn+14.8%
3AluminiumHS 7601US$ 551 mn-0.4%
4LeadHS 7801US$ 343 mn+23.3%
5Ferro-alloysHS 7202US$ 282 mn+3.8%
6CopperHS 7403US$ 195 mn+3,785.5%
7Waste and scrap of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metalHS 7112US$ 144 mn+358.5%
8Motor vehiclesHS 8708US$ 143 mn+11.3%
9Heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen hetero-atom onlyHS 2933US$ 129 mn-6.5%
10CopperHS 7404US$ 97.5 mn+93.4%
11Cotton yarn, containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, not put up for retail saleHS 5205US$ 76.1 mn-4.2%
12Acyclic hydrocarbonsHS 2901US$ 63.6 mn-24.9%
13SaltHS 2501US$ 61.6 mn-1.6%
14AcidsHS 2916US$ 56.6 mn+3.6%
15Synthetic organic colouring matter and preparations based thereonHS 3204US$ 53.9 mn+4.6%
16Vegetable saps and extractsHS 1302US$ 52.2 mn+13%
17Oil-cake and other solid residuesHS 2306US$ 51.2 mn-58.2%
18Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliances for pipes, boiler shells, tanks, vats or the like, including…HS 8481US$ 49.7 mn+16.3%
19Stainless steel bars and rods, angles, shapes and sectionsHS 7222US$ 49.4 mn+3.7%
20Organo-sulphur compoundsHS 2930US$ 44.8 mn+23.9%

What India buys from South Korea

India’s imports from this country in 2025-26 by HS chapter, from TradeStat — this country can be your supplier too.

India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 21.4 bn
US$ 21.1 bn → US$ 21.4 bn
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 6.01 bn
Trade balance
−US$ 15.3 bn
exports minus imports
Change in imports
+1.4%
Name2025-26Change
1Electrical and electronicsHS 85—+11%
2Iron and steelHS 72—0%
3MachineryHS 84—+3.6%
4PlasticsHS 39—-7.4%
5Fuels and petroleum productsHS 27—-27.3%
6Organic chemicalsHS 29—-9.8%
7Vehicles and partsHS 87—+10.5%
8ZincHS 79—+91.6%
9Instruments, medical devicesHS 90—+10.2%
10RubberHS 40—-0.9%

The country at a glance

Population
51.7 mn
2025
GDP
US$ 1,872.4 bn
2025
GDP per person
US$ 36,227
2025
Imports (goods and services)
US$ 760.2 bn
2025

Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · World Bank — World Development Indicators · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

What to send to South Korea

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