China’s rare earth controls collide with US tariffs, stranding South Korea



Analysis China’s rare earth controls collide with US tariffs, stranding South Korea Beijing’s export licenses and Washington’s reciprocal trade laws leave Korean firms exposed to two incompatible regimes John LeeOctober 9, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON The U.S. and Chinese flags \| Image: Canva China’s latest export control orders have eliminated South Korea’s room for neutrality between competing legal systems. The country’s Ministry of Commerce issued Orders 61 and 62 on Thursday, imposing export licenses on foreign re-exports of products containing Chinese rare earth materials and on all related technologies, extending Beijing’s authority to overseas manufacturers and technical data. Their publication overlapped with South Korea’s week-long Chuseok holiday and a fire at the National Information Resources Service data center in Daejeon that disabled hundreds of government systems, leaving Seoul’s regulators offline as Beijing redefined the boundaries of trade law. South Korea’s ministries return to © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Why South Korea cannot rebalance growth without stronger regional clusters 02Samsung, SK Hynix rejection exposes South Korea’s chip-grid financing problem 03Trump’s Cheongung social media post tests Seoul’s refusal to arm to Ukraine 04Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system 05South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience 06Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma 07Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs 08South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower

Analysis

China’s rare earth controls collide with US tariffs, stranding South Korea

Beijing’s export licenses and Washington’s reciprocal trade laws leave Korean firms exposed to two incompatible regimes

John LeeOctober 9, 2025

China’s rare earth controls collide with US tariffs, stranding South Korea

The U.S. and Chinese flags | Image: Canva

China’s latest export control orders have eliminated South Korea’s room for neutrality between competing legal systems.

The country’s Ministry of Commerce issued Orders 61 and 62 on Thursday, imposing export licenses on foreign re-exports of products containing Chinese rare earth materials and on all related technologies, extending Beijing’s authority to overseas manufacturers and technical data.

Their publication overlapped with South Korea’s week-long Chuseok holiday and a fire at the National Information Resources Service data center in Daejeon that disabled hundreds of government systems, leaving Seoul’s regulators offline as Beijing redefined the boundaries of trade law.

South Korea’s ministries return to

China’s rare earth controls collide with US tariffs, stranding South Korea

LATEST ANALYSIS

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John Lee