South Korea Coal Imports 2026 Market Overview & Trends

South Korean coal import values reached a significant peak of 28.15 billion in 2022.
However, a downward trend followed, with 2024 values dropping to 16.4 billion. Despite the value decrease, total quantities have remained relatively stable, fluctuating slightly between 115 billion and 125 billion units over the five-year period.

Australia stands as the leading supplier to South Korea in 2024, with an export value of 6.12 billion.
Indonesia and Russia follow as key partners, contributing 2.63 billion and 2.28 billion respectively. Canada and Colombia also maintain significant market shares in the top five supplier list.

China is the most rapidly emerging partner, showing a remarkable growth rate of 111%.
Colombia and Peru also exhibit strong growth at 48.9% and 44.5% respectively. In contrast, Indonesia saw a slight contraction of 2.2% in its export growth to the region.

Bituminous Coal (HS 270112) is the primary import product, valued at 15.42 billion in 2024.
Anthracite coal follows at a distant second with 845 million. Other coal variants and manufactured briquettes represent a minimal fraction of the total import sector value.