Korea mulls antidumping steps against Thai, Malay chipboard By Lee Joon-seung

SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is considering taking anti-dumping measures against Thai and Malaysian chipboard imports following a preliminary investigation into possible damage to local firms, the government said Thursday.

The Korea Trade Commission (KTC) said an initial investigation that began in
April revealed illegal price cutting that hurt South Korean manufacturers of the
wood product. KTC said, however, that no provisional actions, including the
slapping of antidumping duties, will be taken until a public hearing and on-site
inspections take place.
Particle board, also called chipboard, is a type of engineered wood product
manufactured from wood chips and sawdust mixed with glue that is then pressed
into various types of boards and used to make furniture.
The probe was initiated at the request of the Korea Wood Panel Association in
March. The final ruling is expected around December.
The domestic market stands at 242.4 billion won (US$208.2 million) as of 2007,
with local products making up 58.1 percent of the supply. The particle boards
from Thailand and Malaysia that are being investigated account for 39.9 of market
demand.