Data as of: SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data through September 2026, queried October 15, 2026. Tariffs and MFDS inspection lists checked October 14, 2026.
The best seafood to export to Korea first passes five checks in Korea’s import data: growing import volume, room among origins, a price you can match, few inspection failures and enough importers. The value of Korea’s frozen webfoot octopus imports rose 9.0% to US$145.1 million in Jan–Sep 2026, but volume fell 1.7% (SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data).
Key takeaways
- Korea imported US$145.1 million and 20,583 tonnes of frozen webfoot octopus (HSK 0307.52.3000) in Jan–Sep 2026: value up 9.0%, volume down 1.7% on Jan–Sep 2025 (SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data).
- Vietnam supplied 82.4% of Korea’s frozen webfoot octopus imports by value in Jan–Sep 2026 at US$6.98/kg; Thailand supplied 13.2% at US$7.96/kg (SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data).
- Korea’s 2026 duty on frozen webfoot octopus is 0% from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, 8% from China and 20% without an FTA (Korea Customs Service 2026 tariff schedule).
- SEACHING estimates that 231 Korean companies imported frozen webfoot octopus in October 2025–September 2026, with the top five holding 17.0% of import records (estimate, query of October 15, 2026).
What does Korea import the most right now?
Shrimp, squid and salmon led Korea’s seafood imports by value in Jan–Sep 2026. The table groups HS codes by species, within HS chapter 03 and HS 1603–1605 (seaweed and salt excluded).
| Species group | Korea’s imports, Jan–Sep 2026 (US$ million) |
|---|---|
| Shrimp | 587.1 |
| Squid and cuttlefish | 449.7 |
| Salmon | 420.2 |
| Crab | 399.0 |
| Octopus, including webfoot and small octopus | 377.0 |
| Alaska pollock (whole, fillets, surimi, roe) | 266.7 |
| Tuna | 204.5 |
| Mackerel | 148.6 |
| Surimi, other than pollock | 117.8 |
Source: SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data, imports, Jan–Sep 2026, queried October 15, 2026. Species groups follow the ranking linked below.
A big import line shows that buyers exist, not that your offer can win orders. The ranking of Korea’s top seafood imports by species has the full list.
Before you start, have your product’s 10-digit Korean HS code (HSK), your CIF price per kg and your country’s FTA with Korea. Korean customs values imports at CIF, so compare your CIF price, not FOB. The worked example is frozen webfoot octopus (jukkumi).
Step 1: Is Korea buying more of it?
Compare value and volume for the same months of two years; value can rise on price alone. The table covers only 12 sample HS codes pulled from SEACHING for this article, each with at least US$5 million of imports in Jan–Sep 2025. It is not a ranking of all Korean seafood imports.
| Product (HSK) | Jan–Sep 2026 (US$ million) | Value change | Volume change | US$/kg, 2025 → 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen Pacific salmon, other than sockeye (0303.12.0000) | 59.5 | +72.3% | +82.7% | 6.73 → 6.34 |
| Fresh Atlantic salmon (0302.14.0000) | 207.0 | +18.2% | +9.4% | 10.47 → 11.31 |
| Frozen webfoot octopus (0307.52.3000) | 145.1 | +9.0% | −1.7% | 6.36 → 7.05 |
| Fresh salmon fillets (0304.41.0000) | 128.3 | +8.6% | +5.3% | 17.20 → 17.74 |
| Frozen mackerel fillets (0304.89.5000) | 41.2 | +5.0% | −20.4% | 5.99 → 7.91 |
| Frozen peeled shrimp (0306.17.1090) | 313.9 | +4.9% | +6.8% | 8.22 → 8.08 |
| Frozen mackerel (0303.54.0000) | 107.4 | +2.2% | −41.9% | 2.59 → 4.55 |
| Frozen Atlantic salmon (0303.13.0000) | 9.2 | −4.1% | +3.6% | 8.19 → 7.58 |
| Frozen Alaska pollock (0303.67.0000) | 93.9 | −7.6% | −22.5% | 1.08 → 1.28 |
| Live and fresh webfoot octopus (0307.51.2000) | 12.4 | −9.0% | −8.2% | 6.48 → 6.42 |
| Frozen squid, other (0307.43.2090) | 235.3 | −26.2% | +4.5% | 3.53 → 2.49 |
| Frozen salmon fillets (0304.81.0000) | 14.1 | −45.5% | −40.1% | 9.41 → 8.55 |
Source: SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data, imports, Jan–Sep 2025 and Jan–Sep 2026, queried October 15, 2026.
Frozen webfoot octopus gets a mixed result. Korea spent 9.0% more but bought 1.7% less by weight, because the average customs value rose 10.9% to US$7.05/kg. The monthly unit price climbed from US$6.44/kg in January 2026 to US$7.40/kg in August, then eased to US$7.21/kg in September.
Step 2: Who supplies it now, and is there room for another origin?
Check each origin’s share and its direction. A dominant origin is the benchmark your offer will be read against.
| Origin | Share of value, Jan–Sep 2025 | Share of value, Jan–Sep 2026 | Value change | Volume, Jan–Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 79.3% | 82.4% | +13.3% | 17,124 t |
| Thailand | 17.1% | 13.2% | −16.1% | 2,402 t |
| China | 1.7% | 2.7% | +77.4% | 648 t |
| Indonesia | 1.5% | 1.2% | −7.7% | 296 t |
Source: SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data, frozen webfoot octopus (HSK 0307.52.3000), imports, queried October 15, 2026. Shares are of all origins combined.
The “By Country” tab shows these measures by origin for October 2025–September 2026, a different window from the table above. Four origins supplied 99.5% of the value in Jan–Sep 2026, and Vietnam’s share rose while Thailand’s fell. See the guides for Vietnamese exporters and Thai and Indonesian exporters.
Step 3: What price does Korea pay, and can you compete?
Divide customs value by weight per origin, then add the buyer’s duty. This is a customs average across sizes and grades, not a market price.
| Origin | Customs value, Jan–Sep 2026 (US$/kg) | 2026 duty | Value plus duty, simple calculation (US$/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 6.98 | 0% (Korea–Vietnam FTA) | 6.98 |
| Thailand | 7.96 | 0% (Korea–ASEAN FTA) | 7.96 |
| Indonesia | 6.11 | 0% (Korea–Indonesia CEPA) | 6.11 |
| China | 6.05 | 8% (Korea–China FTA) | 6.53 |
Source: SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data, HSK 0307.52.3000, Jan–Sep 2026; Korea Customs Service 2026 tariff schedule. Rate without an FTA: 20%. Value plus duty is a simple calculation, customs value × (1 + duty), without VAT or other costs.
The Trends tab plots monthly import value and unit price for October 2025–September 2026, so you see the price direction before you quote. In Jan–Sep 2026, Thailand’s customs value was about US$1/kg above Vietnam’s, and Thailand still supplied 13.2% of value, down from 17.1%. On the simple calculation above, China’s US$6.05/kg plus 8% duty comes to US$6.53/kg, below Vietnam’s US$6.98/kg. To set your own offer against these numbers, see benchmarking a seafood price against Korean customs prices.
Step 4: Do shipments of it fail Korean inspection?
Check the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) records for your product and country. Failures are rare: MFDS rejected 51 of 87,818 unprocessed seafood import declarations in 2025, or 0.06%.
MFDS publishes two lists on its Imported Food Information Maru portal. The inspection order list names products tested at every shipment. On October 14, 2026 it had three seafood entries: Japanese bluefin tuna, Chinese frozen yellow croaker and Vietnamese processed shrimp. None covered webfoot octopus. The rejection list, in Korean, shows each rejected product with origin, exporter and failed test. Search it for your own product and origin. The guide to Korean import inspection for seafood explains what happens after a failure.
Step 5: How many Korean companies import it?
Count the importers and their concentration. A short, concentrated list means few buyers to approach; a long, spread-out list means more potential buyers.
SEACHING estimates that 231 companies imported frozen webfoot octopus in October 2025–September 2026: 192 bought from Vietnam, 46 from Thailand, 21 from China and 9 from Indonesia, some from more than one. The top five held 17.0% of import records and the top ten 28.7%.
The Companies tab shows the same estimate, Importers (231), with origin filters; company names are blurred here. The article on who imports seafood into Korea compares importer counts across products.
How do you read the five results together?
No single number makes a product “best”; weigh the five together.
| Check | Frozen webfoot octopus | Signal |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Growth | Value +9.0%, volume −1.7%, Jan–Sep 2026 | Mixed: price-led |
| 2. Origins | Vietnam 82.4% and gaining | Good for Vietnam, harder for others |
| 3. Price | Customs value US$6.05–7.96/kg; 0% duty for Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia | Good if your CIF price fits |
| 4. Inspection | No seafood inspection order on it (October 14, 2026) | Good; check the rejection list |
| 5. Importers | 231 estimated, top five 17.0% of records | Many estimated buyers |
Source: Steps 1–5 above.
Three common mistakes. First, mixing product forms: live and fresh webfoot octopus is a seasonal trade, with 94.7% of its Jan–Sep 2026 value arriving in February to May, while frozen was 92.2% of the two codes combined. Second, comparing nine months of 2026 with a full year of 2025. Third, reading importer counts as exact; they are estimates. The article on octopus imports by HS code separates the octopus codes.
Run the five checks on your own product
When a product passes, the step-by-step guide to exporting seafood to Korea covers registration, labels and shipping. The data above is here:
- Frozen webfoot octopus imports into Korea (free sign-up)
- Vietnam’s seafood trade with Korea (free sign-up)
- Thailand’s seafood trade with Korea (free sign-up)
Before you pick a product for Korea, look up how much of it Korea already imports, from which origins and at what customs value per kg. SEACHING, a Korea seafood trade data platform operated by LINKSUP, Inc. in Busan, shows Korea’s seafood imports by 10-digit HS code and month, built on Korea Customs Service data. Run the five checks on your product (free sign-up)
FAQ
Which seafood has zero import duty in Korea?
It depends on the 10-digit HS code and your country’s FTA. Frozen webfoot octopus (HSK 0307.52.3000) pays 0% from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia in 2026, 8% from China and 20% without an FTA (Korea Customs Service 2026 tariff schedule). Other species are in Korea’s seafood import duty by species and FTA. Confirm the rate with a licensed customs broker.
How much import data should I look at before choosing a product?
Compare the same months in at least two years, so seasonal swings do not look like growth, and read monthly figures for seasonal products.
Where can I check Korean import inspection failures for free?
MFDS lists rejected imports on its Imported Food Information Maru portal (impfood.mfds.go.kr). The list is in Korean, can be filtered to seafood and shows the product, origin, exporter and failed test (checked October 14, 2026).
Sources and method
- SEACHING, frozen webfoot octopus (HSK 0307.52.3000), Korea Customs Service import data, Jan 2025–Sep 2026, origins VN, TH, CN, ID; importer estimates for October 2025–September 2026; queried October 15, 2026
- SEACHING, live and fresh webfoot octopus (HSK 0307.51.2000), Jan 2025–Sep 2026, queried October 15, 2026. The other 10 codes in the Step 1 table were queried the same way on the same day
- SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data, all seafood HS codes (HS chapter 03 and HS 1603–1605), imports, Jan–Sep 2026, queried October 15, 2026, for the species group table; group definitions follow the species ranking
- Korea Customs Service, tariff rates by item 2026 (data.go.kr), file dated February 11, 2026
- National Law Information Center: Customs Act, Article 30, in force October 2, 2026
- MFDS, Imported Food Inspection Yearbook 2026 (2025 results), 2025 data
- MFDS Imported Food Information Maru, inspection order list, checked October 14, 2026
- MFDS Imported Food Information Maru, imported food rejection list, checked October 14, 2026
- Method: unit price is customs value divided by weight. Shares use all origins as the denominator. Months with no trade for an origin count as zero. Importer counts and concentration are SEACHING estimates from import records, not company accounts or value shares.
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