South Korea Latest Chemical Industry News & Trends-SKYSEVEN CHEMICAL

Japan's refinery operating rate remains low, Middle East crude oil cut-off, alternative supplies encounter bottlenecks

The latest data from the Japan Petroleum Association shows that as of the week of April 11, the country's refinery operating rate was 67.8 percent, which was basically the same as the 67.7 percent in the previous week, and only maintained at around 2/3 production capacity

2026-04-21 16:40:01

Navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, Japan's petrochemical industry is stuck in the dilemma of raw material supply cut-off.

The situation of blocked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz continues, and many Asian countries are facing the risk of petrochemical raw material supply rupture.

2026-04-20 17:14:55

South Korea introduces petrochemical raw material storage restriction policy, Middle East geo-risks force Asian chemical supply chain restructuring

On April 14, South Korea officially issued emergency control measures, clarifying that during the period from April 15 to June 30, it will start anti-hoarding for seven types of core petrochemical raw materials such as ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, and xylene. Special supervision

2026-04-16 17:41:04

South Korea SP three and the realization of high-end optical polyurethane resin localization to break the Japanese monopoly

On April 7, 2026, South Korean specialty chemicals company SP Sanhe (SP Samhwa) announced a major technological breakthrough and has successfully developed two domestic patents related to "manufacturing method of high-purity optical polyurethane resin".

2026-04-08 16:43:48

South Korea introduced 469.5 billion won naphtha import subsidies to deal with the impact of the Middle East supply chain.

Recently, South Korea's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources officially announced that the South Korean government plans to allocate a special budget of 469.5 billion won ($0.31 billion) to subsidize the import cost of naphtha to ensure the stable operation of the domestic petrochemical industry chain, affected by the disruption of the global supply chain caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

2026-04-08 16:29:50

South Korea's Lishui No.1 Project Landing Petrochemical Industry Integration Speeds Up Capacity

On March 20, South Korea's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources officially disclosed that South Korea's head ethylene producers YNCC, Lotte Chemical, Hanwha and DL Chemical have jointly submitted the final plan for business restructuring of "Lishui No.1 Project".

2026-03-25 17:57:31

South Korea adds naphtha to key commodity list with multiple initiatives to address Middle East supply disruption risk

Recently, the South Korean government officially included naphtha in the list of key commodities to prevent the potential impact of the interruption of naphtha imports in the Middle East on the operation of the downstream industrial chain.

2026-03-24 17:51:55

South Korea's major petrochemical companies expand operating losses to 1.5 trillion won in 2025, industry restructuring still needs long-term progress

South Korea's major petrochemical companies have an initial total operating loss of 1.5 trillion won (about 7.8 billion yuan) in 2025, a significant increase from 1.1 trillion won in 2024.

2026-03-06 16:10:27

South Korea Biofuel Breakthrough: Industry Chain Reshaping Effect of LG Chemical-Enilive Project

LG Chem and Enilive officially launch South Korea's first hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production plant

2025-08-19 17:10:21

The U.S. intends to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Japan and South Korea, and the aromatic hydrocarbon supply chain faces impact.

The Trump administration intends to impose a 25% tariff on Japanese and Korean goods, or a severe impact on U.S. aromatic imports, forcing companies to find alternative suppliers or bear higher costs.

2025-07-15 17:35:05