Shipping from China to South Korea

Shipping From China To South Korea (Latest Guide 2025)

These days, many businesses are importing a huge number of products from China to South Korea. We can say shipping from China to South Korea has become an industry worth hundreds of billion dollars.

Below we have explained everything you need to ship your products from China to any South Korean destination.

Bansar has been in the shipping and logistics industry for more than 10 years. If you need help in any of the steps below like customs clearance, cargo loading and unloading and warehousing storage, you can contact us today.

Shipping Guide From China To South Korea

Here is a step-by-step method for transporting goods from China to South Korea. These are the simple steps for shipping. If you follow these you can easily import your cargo to South Korea.

1. Prepare Your Consignment in China

First of all, you have to prepare the cargo for shipping after picking it up from the Chinese manufacturer. To do this, you need to do custom packaging and then labeling. 

For packaging, you should use robust materials like corrugated boxes for goods safety. Moreover, pallets are used for packing heavier objects. You can also use foam lining to protect fragile products from damage.

Main thing is proper labeling. It should be according to the regulations of South Korea and China. Labeling must contain information of both sender and recipient, cargo dimensions, and customs details. In addition, compliance marks must be labeled on your packaging.

2. Go For Export Clearance In China 

Now you have to send your cargo to the exporting site which will be either a Chinese airport or seaport. Initially, your cargo is checked there to ensure it meets the regulations of South Korea and China. After that, you go through the process of Chinese customs clearance at the seaport, airport or railway site.

We recommended hiring a customs broker or freight forwarder. They will prepare and submit the documents required by the customs authorities. Moreover, you have to pay export duties to these authorities to move your goods outside of China. 

To assess the value of goods, an approach is used known as Harmonized System (HS) codes. It is the classification system for items to estimate the applied tariffs. After successfully passing through customs, your shipment is ready for export to South Korea. Now, a freight forwarder will assist you in further processing of your shipment.

3. Dispatching And Tracking Goods

The time comes for importing your cargo from China to South Korea. But before that, your packages are repacked in specific containers or large boxes. Then they are loaded onto the ship, rail, truck, or airplane, whatever you choose. Furthermore, your shipment is fully secured to avoid any damage during the journey.

Now, it has departed on its way towards South Korea. You can track the live location of your shipment via online tools. To do this, a Chinese freight forwarder like Bansar will provide you with a system for tracking goods. They also provide real-time updates regarding the consignment to you.

4. Do Import Clearance In South Korea

South Korean authorities charge import duties in order to enter their country. Commonly, they charge a 10% value-added tax on the imported goods. However, customs requires specific documents with the details of the cargo. After submitting them and clearing the customs, you can transport cargo wherever you want.

5. Move Cargo To Your Place

Now, hire a domestic carrier in South Korea to move the cargo from the importing site. You can take it to your warehouse, your commercial store, Amazon’s warehouse, or where it should be. Additionally, your freight forwarder also offers warehousing service, you can ask him if you need it.

Ways To Ship From China To South Korea

There are various means of importing goods to South Korea. Each method has its own benefits and limitations. You can choose the one according to your budget and cargo type.

1. Express Delivery

Express delivery is the fastest way of shipping cargo. You have to wait for 24-48 hours for your goods to arrive at your place. If you are out of stock today, the express service will restock your inventory by the very next day. However, the only downside is its higher cost than every other freight method.

2. Air Freight

Air freight will transfer your cargo by air. It usually takes 2 to 3 business days for the cargo to arrive from China to the airport in South Korea. You can ship high-value goods, perishable, and fragile items through air shipping. Moreover, it is specifically used to transport time and temperature-dependent cargo. 

Large or heavy shipments are not shipped from China via air freight. It is because of the restrictions of airlines regarding the weight of cargo. Only the goods weighing 2000 grams are permissible via air. It is also expensive due to more usage of fuel than other means of shipping.

3. Ocean Freight

Ocean freight is the most economical way of moving goods from Chinese locations to any South Korean city. You can transfer any type of cargo no matter how heavy it is. It may be automobiles, cranes, heavy machinery, furniture, and anything you want to ship. 

However, it may take longer than air freight. Usually, 3 to 8 days are required for ocean shipping. 

There are 2 sea shipping modes through which your goods are transported. You can choose the one depending on your cargo.

• Full Container Load (FCL) is used to ship larger shipments. Your cargo will be given a dedicated container for its journey. It may be a 20-foot or 40-foot container based on your shipment size. It is a cost-effective method of transporting heavy items.
• Less than Container Load (LCL) is used for smaller consignments. In this mode, your cargo is fitted in a shared space in a container with other people’s cargo. As you don’t book a full container, therefore, it has lower rates than the FCL method.

4. Railway Shipping

Well, there will be a time when ocean and air freight might not be the perfect options for you to ship goods to South Korea. Then you can go with railway freight as the most suitable one. 

This mode of transportation is considered good for bulk cargoes. Its speed is also higher than sea freight. Plus the emission of carbon dioxide in this case is way less than the above discussed methods. 

You can contact our team and then we will see the possible rail routes available from China to South Korean cities. Don’t worry, you will get the most affordable quote in the market because we have developed good relations with many carriers in this field to do everything right.

You Can Also Choose D2D Delivery

If you want to ease your shipping process then our D2D service is for you. It is the door-to-door delivery of your cargo. You don’t need to get so much involved in the shipping process. The only thing you have to do is to make a contract with the shipping company and pay their fee. 

After that, they will take care of everything involved in the logistics process. Firstly, they will pick up your cargo from the China’s manufacturer’s site or the address you give them. Then transport it to the port, do customs handling, and load it into the carrier (ship or plane). They will provide you with regular updates on where your cargo has reached. 

When it arrives in South Korea, the shipping company will do all the handling here. They will transport it to your given location. In this way, you can easily receive your products at your door. Except for this, port-to-port, port-to-door, or door-to-port services are also provided.

Freight Charges For Shipping From China To South Korea

The shipping cost is calculated based on a number of factors. The primary things to make a rough estimate are cargo dimensions, shipping distance, and means of transportation. The type of product is also considered in this process.

Here is the approximate cost for Shipping from China to South Korea:

Above are the basic charges, there are other charges that you should keep in mind. These include:

• Customs duties depend on the value of goods (import tax, export tax, VAT, tariffs, etc)
• Cargo handling fees (warehousing, loading, and unloading)
• Documentation charges
• Security charges
• Fuel Surcharge (5 to 10 percent of your freight charges)
• Local transport charges

Shipping Duration From China To South Korea

The transit time depends on the chosen method and route. The following table shows how long it takes to ship from China to South Korea.

However, the above transit time may fluctuate depending on various factors. The most common is environmental conditions. Your shipment can be delayed due to adverse weather. In addition, there are also chances of customs delays and port congestion. In case the port is busy, you should take its alternative port for timely delivery.

Make sure to avoid shipping in peak seasons. In addition to the delay in shipment, it also cost more than usual.

Required Documents For Customs

To do the customs clearance in both countries, you have to submit the following documents to them:

• Commercial Invoice
• Bill of Lading or Airway bill
• Letter of Credit
• Packing List
• Insurance certificate (as required)
• Certificate of Origin

Major Airports For China-South Korea Trade

There are various leading airports from which things are exported from China. These things are imported into South Korea at airports. Here are some of the top airports in both countries.

China Airports

The major airports from which shipping takes place from China to South Korea are:

• Beijing Capital International Airport
• Shanghai Pudong International Airport
• Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
• Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
• Kunming Changshui International Airport
• Shenzhen Baoan International Airport
• Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport
• Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
• Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport
• Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
• Xi’an Xianyang International Airport
• Fujian International Airport
• Hong Kong International Airport

South Korea Airports

The South Korean airports where import from China takes place are:

• Incheon International Airport (in the Seoul metro area)
• Yangyang international airport 
• Gimpo International Airport (west of Seoul)
• Gimhae International Airport (west of Busan)
• Yeosu airport
• Jeju International Airport
• Ulsan airport
• Muan international airport
• Daegu International Airport

Air Carriers

The leading airlines that provide shipping services in these two countries are:

• UPS
• All Nippon Airways
• China Eastern Airlines
• Hainan Airlines
• China Southern Airlines
• Federal Express
• Asiana Airlines
• Air Korea Co. Ltd
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Tway Air
• Korean Air Cargo
• Qatar Airways Cargo 
• Korea Express Air   

Major Seaports Of China And South Korea

These two countries have several seaports. However, some of the ports are leading and mostly used for the trade between these 2 economies.

China Ports

Here are some of the most used seaports of China for exporting goods to South Korea.

• The Port of Shanghai can manage up to 42 million TEUs on its 19 terminals.
• The Port of Shenzhen has a capacity of 28 million TEUs annually.
• The Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan has an annual throughput of 27 million TEUs. 
• The Port of Guangzhou is located in the south of China. Its annual capacity is 23 million TEUs.
• The Port of Qingdao can handle over 19 million TEU containers. It is present in the basin of the Yellow River.
• The Port of Hong Kong deals with more than 20 million TEUs annually.
• The Port of Tianjin occupies an area of 10,000 hectares. It can handle 17 million TEU containers on an annual basis.
• The Port of Xiamen is present at the starting point of Jiulongjiang River. It deals with 10 million TEUs annually. 

South Korea Ports

Below is the list of South Korean seaports that accept goods from China. 

• The Port of Busan is able to handle 21 million TEUs or more. It lies among the latest ports in the country.
• The Port of Gwangyang can accommodate 2.5 million TEUs. It mainly deals with bulk cargo. 
• Port of Incheon is in the estuary of the Han River and can tackle 3 million TEUs.

Some other medium ports used as destination seaports in South Korea are:

• Port of Daesan
• Port of Ulsan
• Jeju Port
• Port of Daipori
• Masan Port
• Gunsan Port

Goods You Can Import To South Korea From China

South Korea accepts the following items from China:

• Petroleum and its derivatives
• Minerals (Iron ores)
• Coal
• Packaged food
• Vehicles (cars, cranes, etc)
• Circuits
• Jewelry
• Batteries
• Cables
• Spare parts
• Clothing accessories
• Heavy machinery 
• Travel items
• General goods

Restricted Items To Move To South Korea

Some products are prohibited as imports in South Korea. However, if you want to move them there, you need a special license from the authorities. These are:

• Hazardous items 
• Explosives or flammable materials
• Dangerous chemicals
• Unauthorized drugs (Cocaine, Opium, Tobacco, Marijuana, etc)
• Weapons
• Alive animals or their skin or other organs
• Soil, seed, and plants
• Currency notes