Sugar · importers
South Korea ranks eleventh of 96 at $1.6B in the sugars and sugar confectionery chapter, with refiners and food makers as the core buyers.
| Market | HS 17 imports |
|---|---|
| United States | $7.2B |
| China | $4.2B |
| Indonesia | $3.6B |
| Germany | $2.6B |
| United Kingdom | $2.2B |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 17 (sugars and sugar confectionery); sugar is only part of it. Source: UN Comtrade, as reported by national authorities; latest available year per market.
Malaysia is above and the Netherlands below, all at $1.6B when rounded. South Korea’s 2.5% share of reported world imports is level with Malaysia’s. The chapter is 0.3% of its $631.7B imports and ranks 40th among import chapters, well behind fuels at $162.1B and electrical machinery at $123.8B.
South Korea has no significant sugar crop, so its refineries buy raw cane sugar in bulk and supply the country’s beverage, bakery and confectionery producers. Purchases follow a raw-sugar specification and are made in vessel-sized lots. Food companies may separately import specialty sugars, syrups and confectionery goods.
Ask whether the importer is a refiner or a manufacturer and what colour and polarisation targets it applies. Most buyers also compare more than one origin at a time, so it helps to state clearly how your sugar differs in quality, delivery timing or reliability from other offers.
Tariffs and quota arrangements for sugar depend on origin and trade agreements, and they are set by the authorities and can change. Ask the buyer and the authorities what currently applies to your origin. Korean manufacturers also tend to evaluate suppliers over an extended period, so plan for sample rounds and a probationary first cargo before regular volumes begin, and keep test records for every lot you ship. The overall source list is led by China, the USA, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
The $1.6B covers all of chapter 17, confectionery included, and re-exports can shift a ranking.
Shipment data under the sugar heading names receivers with weights. Use it to identify the refiners and manufacturers that import regularly, then fix Incoterm, currency, payment terms and port before you make contact through this site’s free marketplace.
Eleventh of 96 markets at $1.6B in 2024, a 2.5% share of reported world imports.
Refiners buying raw cane, and manufacturers buying specialty sugars, syrups and confectionery.
No. Korean totals cover confectionery as well as sugar itself.
Search sugar-heading shipment records and read consignees and weights.
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