October 29, 2025 — The U.S. and South Korea have reached a trade deal that will reduce tariffs on the Asian nation from 25 percent to 15 percent, both countries announced on 29 October.
U.S. President Donald Trump initially threatened the 25 percent tariff in July, with a start date of 1 August. Since that time, all goods from the country – including seafood – have been subject to the duty.
July 24, 2025 — Two U.S. importers have recalled frozen half-shell oysters from South Korea due to possible contamination with norovirus.
Vernon, California, U.S.A.-based Wang Globalnet recalled 1,200 cases of frozen half-shell oysters labeled “Product of Korea, Pack 144 counts,” with a harvest date of 12 January. This came after the California Department of Public Health notified the company about multiple reported illnesses stemming from the product in the state of Utah, Wang Globalnet said.
June 24, 2025 — In recent years, China has towed a decommissioned offshore oil-drilling rig and two giant octagonal steel cages into the sea between China and South Korea, saying that the structures were used as deep-sea fish farms in shared waters. But South Koreans fear that they are more than that and could be used to expand China’s military influence.
South Korea’s National Assembly formally took issue with the Chinese structures on Monday when its ocean and fisheries committee condemned them as “a threat to maritime safety,” in a resolution adopted with bipartisan support. Those fears were bolstered on Tuesday by a report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“While available information suggests that the platforms are genuinely focused on aquaculture, concerns that the platforms may be dual-use are not unfounded, given China’s track record in the South China Sea,” said the report, which used satellite imagery and other data to track the installations. Dual-use refers to a second potential use for military purposes.
“Even without further expansion, the platforms are likely already collecting data that could have value for undersea navigation and detection,” the report said.
January 13, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Commerce has finalized antidumping tariffs for imported tin products used in seafood canning.
The tariffs are largely unchanged from the preliminary rates announced in August 2023, with the department implementing dumping rates of 123 percent for Chinese tin imports, 5 percent for Canadian tin imports, and 7 percent for German tin imports. However, the department also opted to set tariffs on some imported steel from South Korea, despite its preliminary determination to not do so.
June 2, 2022 — Researchers from Korea Maritime & Ocean University, in Busan, South Korea revealed that exposure to higher levels of benzo[α]pyrene (BaP) slowed immune response in bay scallops and lowered their capacity to deal with oxidative stress and DNA damage.
BaP is a carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), and one of the most common pollutants released into the sea. They are formed by incomplete combustion of organic matter, including wood and fossil fuels. They are not water soluble, but attach to fine silt at the ocean bottom, where they may be consumed by shellfish.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
April 12, 2022 — Exporters from Russia are shipping more crab to South Korea after being locked out of other international markets.
Many of the world’s biggest markets for crab, including the U.S., the E.U., the U.K. have announced bans on Russian seafood imports in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Simultaneously, Chinese government has imposed lockdowns in Shanghai and several other cities to control a COVID-19 outbreak, a move expected to hinder inflows of seafood to China.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
March 30, 2022 — At least one-third of all recorded fishery offenses are associated with industrial fishing vessels – specifically just 20 companies and 450 industrial fishing vessels – and over half of the industrial offenses have Chinese beneficial ownership.
According to “Fish Crimes in the Global Oceans,” prepared for ocean conservation group Oceana and published in Science Advances, 59 percent of offences in the industrial fishing sector are related to Chinese owned vessels. Fifteen percent were tied to Indonesian vessels and 12 percent were associated with South Korean vessels.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
February 3, 2021 — An investigation by the Advocate for Public Interest Law (APIL) and the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has found that migrant workers onboard South Korea’s distant-water fishing fleet – which fishes for products eventually shipped to the U.S., European Union, and United Kingdom – are subject to abuse.
The investigation of 40 vessels – of which 29 are authorized to export to the E.U. and U.K. – found that the crew of many vessels reported “violent attacks and illegal activities,” a release from the two organizations said. Of 54 Indonesian former crew interviewed, more than a quarter reported experiencing physical abuse, and 63 percent reported verbal abuse.
October 22, 2020 — Fisheries officials from the European Union, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States have met to discuss cooperation on limiting the use of flags of convenience by distant-water fishery companies involved in illegal fishing.
The online meeting, which took place 15 October, follows a report by the advocacy group Environmental Justice Foundation criticizing the process whereby fishing companies buy flags from flag states, which are then unwilling or unable to monitor the activity of problem trawlers. The report, “Off the Hook: How Flags of Convenience Let Illegal Fishing Go Unpunished,” details the damage that flags of convenience cause to fisheries and how they are used to conduct illegal fishing. In the report, EJF calls for sanctions to end the practice and more transparency surrounding the registration of fishing vessels.
March 13, 2020 — Russia’s seafood industry is facing a serious threat from the COVID-19 pandemic, with two of its biggest export markets, China and South Korea, essentially shut down.
China and South Korea are crucial to Russia, accounting for a vast majority of the country’s seafood exports. In 2019, Russia exported 1.7 million metric tons (MT) of seafood, with 1.2 million MT, or 70.5 percent, going to China. Half of this volume was pollock, according to the Russian Customs Service.