According to reports from South Korean media SBS News, on April 21, South Korea’s Customs Service (KCS) raided a factory near the new port in Busan, uncovering large quantities of Chinese-made mattresses disguised as “Made in Korea.” These mattresses were fraudulently accompanied by certificates of origin from 22 South Korean companies, with the intention of re-exporting them to the U.S. through South Korea. It was reported that 1.2 million mattresses were exported to the U.S. in this manner, amounting to a value of 74 billion Korean won (or 52 million U.S. dollars). This is one of several cases recently uncovered by South Korea’s Customs Service involving Chinese companies mislabeling products as “Made in Korea” and exporting them to the U.S.
According to KCS data, the total value of illegal exports in the first quarter of 2025 reached 29.5 billion Korean won (about 20.8 million USD), with 97% of these goods destined for the U.S. In comparison, the total illegal exports in 2024 amounted to 34.8 billion Korean won, with 62% of the goods being exported to the U.S. This indicates a significant increase in Chinese goods being routed through South Korea to bypass U.S. trade restrictions.
It’s worth noting that this action by South Korea comes ahead of high-level U.S.-South Korea talks regarding Trump’s tariff issues, signaling South Korea’s intent to clarify its position to the U.S. and secure favorable treatment in the ongoing tariff negotiations.
South Korea is just one of the countries taking tangible actions to distance itself from China and clearly align with the U.S. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent “charm diplomacy” tour of Southeast Asia has been followed by a series of unfavorable events for China. There has been a subtle shift in attitudes towards China, not only in traditionally China-friendly countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Cambodia, but also in nations like India that have maintained a non-aligned stance. This change suggests a potential collective pushback against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
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