2nd batch of Chinese urea set to arrive in S. Korea

The second batch of urea under export inspection in China was to arrive in South Korea on Wednesday, the oceans ministry said, which is expected to help address supply crunch of urea solution, a key fluid needed in diesel cars to cut emissions.

The ship carrying 3,000 tons of urea will arrive in the southeastern city of Ulsan around 9 p.m. after leaving from the Longkou port in China's northeastern province of Shandong on Monday, according to the ministry.

It is part of the 18,700 tons of urea for which Seoul and Beijing agreed to push for due shipment procedures in a swift manner, as South Korean firms had already signed contracts with the Chinese side for their exports.

The first batch of the urea, or 300 tons, was delivered here on Nov. 23.

South Korea has experienced a supply shortage of urea solution, as China imposed export curbs on urea to ease domestic supply bottlenecks in October.

More than 97 percent of South Korea's urea imports came from China in the first nine months of this year, underscoring its heavy reliance on the neighboring country for the key material.

The government has been scurrying to ensure stable supply chains of key materials to prevent any recurrences by launching an early warning monitoring system on around 4,000 major industry items and seeking to diversify their import channels. (Yonhap)