Korea Post resumes express mail service to U.S.

Korea Post resumed sending parcels to the United States, but it will be more expensive for customers. Korea Post said Tuesday that it is resuming its express mail service (EMS) to the United States on Monday

Customer weighs a parcel at the Post Office in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Aug. 25 [YONHAP]

Korea Post resumed sending parcels to the United States, but it will be more expensive for customers.

Korea Post said Monday that it is resuming its express mail service (EMS) to the United States the same day. The post service previously halted EMS services to the U.S. on Aug. 26, citing “difficulties in handling” after the 15 percent baseline tariff was imposed to Korea. Before August, EMS sent from Korea below the $800 threshold was considered duty-free.

Korea Post, working with a United States Customs and Border Protection-approved customs broker, said it will charge the sender with the applicable tariff, so it is processed through U.S. customs as a delivery duty paid (DDP) item. The new policy applies to EMS, international parcel and K-Packet.

Tariff and processing fee guideline uploaded on Korea Post's website [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Parcels labeled as gifts and priced under $100 will be exempt from the tariff, but will be subject to a $1.04 processing fee.

EMS priced over $100 and below $800 — including gifts — will be subjected to tariffs imposed by the United States, which can be 15 percent or higher. Ten percent of the tariff will also be charged as processing fee, alongside the $1.04 base processing fee.

Items over $800 will be required to pay the same tariff but will be exempt from the processing fee. EMS sent to U.S. territories, such as Guam, will be subjected to a 15 percent tariff regardless of the item price and will not incur an additional processing fee.

Letters or documents that do not require a customs declaration can be sent without a tariff or additional fee.

Korea Post said using its service means that the customs processing time will be reduced, and the recipient will not have to pay additional tariff. Food items, including kimchi, can also be sent through the Post Office.

Tariffs and the new processing fee will only be available to be paid using cash or bank transfer, with the option to pay by card coming in mid-October.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]