Seoul: The national postal service announced Thursday that it will cease accepting packages destined for the United States starting next week. This decision aligns with the U.S. suspension of its duty-free policy for international shipments.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the halt follows the U.S. plan to terminate the de minimis exemption, which previously allowed low-cost parcels from overseas valued at $800 or less to enter the country without incurring tariffs. Moving forward, all international shipments will be subject to a 15 percent tariff beginning August 29.
The postal service specified that it would stop processing U.S.-bound air freight packages starting Monday, with all parcels sent via the Express Mail Service (EMS) ceasing the day after. However, this change does not impact the shipment of documents and correspondence.
Customers may continue sending packages to the U.S. using the premium EMS service, which requires tariffs to be paid by the recipient. The postal service has committed to devising strategies to reduce customer inconvenience and has urged senders to thoroughly prepare all necessary shipping documents before dispatching parcels to the U.S.