South Korea-origin goods were subject to IEEPA reciprocal tariffs starting April 2025. A 25% country-specific rate was announced but negotiated down before taking effect; the sustained rate that applied from August 7, 2025 through February 2026 was 15%. The Supreme Court ruled those duties unlawful. CBP's CAPE system is processing refunds now. South Korean exporters and U.S. importers of Korean-origin steel, electronics, automotive parts, and consumer goods have significant refund exposure.
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The Supreme Court’s February 20, 2026 ruling in Learning Resources v. Trump held that IEEPA tariffs were unlawful, opening $166 billion in refunds across 53 million entry summaries and 330,000 importers of record. U.S. importers of South Korea-origin goods are among the eligible. CBP’s CAPE system is actively processing refunds through Phase 1, Phase 2, and now Phase 3 (finally liquidated entries, following a July 17, 2026 CIT order) — though Phase 3 currently applies only to importers who have already filed their own CIT lawsuit.
South Korea is a major U.S. steel supplier. IEEPA duties stacked on existing Section 232 tariffs created significant combined duty exposure. IEEPA duties are refundable separately — Section 232 remains.
Hyundai, Kia, and South Korean automotive parts suppliers export significant volumes to the U.S. IEEPA duties on Korean-origin auto parts and assembled vehicles carry strong per-entry refund values.
Samsung and LG consumer electronics, display panels, and home appliances — high-value per-entry Korea-origin goods with meaningful IEEPA exposure (15% sustained rate for most of the period) and significant refund potential.
South Korea's chemical and materials export sector supplies U.S. manufacturers with specialty chemicals, polymers, and advanced materials — IEEPA-affected at South Korea's applicable rate (15% for most of the period) with meaningful refund exposure.
CBP is processing IEEPA refunds in three phases. Your eligibility depends on your entry liquidation status and whether a Type 09 reconciliation entry has been filed.
Entries not yet liquidated, or liquidated within 80 days of your CAPE Declaration filing date. Open since April 20, 2026. Applies to all origins including South Korea.
Entry Types 01, 02, 06 flagged for reconciliation with no Type 09 filed. Open since June 29, 2026. File CAPE Declaration before Type 09 — sequence matters.
Entries liquidated more than 80 days ago. Following a July 17, 2026 CIT order, Phase 3 is now in effect — but limited to the roughly 3,700 companies that already filed individual CIT lawsuits, pending the government's Federal Circuit appeal (opening brief due August 3, 2026).
From eligibility screening to CAPE Declaration delivery — TariffIQ™ handles the analysis, we prep the filing, your licensed broker submits in ACE.
Submit your import profile at tariffbureau.com/assessment. TariffIQ™ screens your South Korea-origin entries, HTS codes, and liquidation status against CAPE Phase 1, 2, and 3 eligibility criteria. No obligation.
We build a CFO-ready financial model of your recoverable South Korea-origin IEEPA duties plus statutory interest under 19 U.S.C. § 1505. You see your recovery estimate before signing anything.
We build your CAPE Declaration CSV, validate Chapter 99 HTS codes on your South Korea-origin entries, check ACH enrollment status in ACE, and verify filing sequence. Your licensed customs broker submits in ACE.
No recovery, no fee. We take a percentage of the refund when CBP pays. If you don’t recover, you owe nothing. The Form 4811 designee model means your ACH refund can flow directly through our account for disbursement.
The Tariff Bureau serves U.S. importers of South Korea-origin goods remotely through our digital engagement platform. No office visit required. Submit your free assessment at tariffbureau.com/assessment and receive a TariffIQ™ eligibility report within minutes. For direct assistance, reach us at (404) 882-5839 or [email protected], Monday through Friday, 9 AM – 6 PM Eastern.
With CAPE Phase 3 now live for importers who've filed a CIT lawsuit, and statutory interest accruing at approximately $650 million per month industry-wide, every week of delay reduces your total recovery. The earlier your CAPE Declaration is filed and validated, the more interest you collect.
TariffIQ™ identifies your exact CAPE phase position, your refund estimate, and your next step. Free assessment, no obligation, no recovery no fee.
Mon–Fri 9am–6pm ET • [email protected]