Cane or beet sugar: South Korea exports and imports
HS 1701 · 사탕수수당이나 사탕무당, 화학적으로 순수한 자당(蔗糖)(고체 상태인 것으로 한정한다) · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $13.8 million of cane or beet sugar (HS 1701), up 8.6% from September 2026 and up 2.5% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of cane or beet sugar (HS 1701) totalled $113.1 million, down 15.3% from the 12 months before ($133.6 million).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was China ($64.0 million, 56.6% of the total), followed by Hong Kong and Malaysia.
That was 40.3% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 17 (sugars and sugar confectionery) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $52.9 million (down 5.9% from October 2025), leaving a deficit of $39.1 million for the month.
Official description of HS 1701: Cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose, in solid form.
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 1701
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1701.12 | Beet sugar | $88K | 0.1% | +32.9% | $6,567 |
| 1701.12.1000 | Of polarimeter reading not exceeding 98.5° | $20 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 1701.12.2000 | Of polarimeter reading exceeding 98.5° | $88K | 100.0% | +35.6% | $6,567 |
| 1701.13 | Cane sugar specified in Subheading Note 2 to this Chapter | $6 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 1701.14 | Other cane sugar | $239K | 0.2% | +13.9% | $25K |
| 1701.14.1000 | Of polarimeter reading not exceeding 98.5° | $96K | 40.1% | +8.3% | $11K |
| 1701.14.2000 | Of polarimeter reading exceeding 98.5° | $143K | 59.9% | +17.9% | $14K |
| 1701.91 | Containing added flavouring or colouring matter | $440K | 0.4% | -6.6% | $0 |
| 1701.99 | Other | $112.3M | 99.3% | -15.5% | $13.7M |
Six-digit codes are international; the indented ten-digit codes are South Korea's own subdivision. These rows are world totals; "Share" is the share of the row above.
Top destinations
Export value over the 12 months to October 2026. 63 countries received this product from South Korea in the last 24 months; the table shows the largest 20.
| Rank | Country | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | Rank before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $64.0M | 56.6% | -14.9% | 1 | $9.7M |
| 2 | Hong Kong | $35.2M | 31.2% | -20.3% | 2 | $3.0M |
| 3 | Malaysia | $4.1M | 3.6% | +62.0% | 4 | $436K |
| 4 | Japan | $2.3M | 2.0% | -11.2% | 3 | $263K |
| 5 | United States | $1.5M | 1.4% | -7.8% | 6 | $92K |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | $1.4M | 1.3% | +6.0% | 7 | $0 |
| 7 | Indonesia | $1.3M | 1.1% | -30.7% | 5 | $0 |
| 8 | Mongolia | $699K | 0.6% | -15.0% | 8 | $85K |
| 9 | Guam | $630K | 0.6% | -4.6% | 9 | $67K |
| 10 | Russia | $335K | 0.3% | +86.3% | 14 | $2,339 |
| 11 | Singapore | $237K | 0.2% | -25.1% | 12 | $27K |
| 12 | Palau | $149K | 0.1% | -2.1% | 15 | $20K |
| 13 | Northern Mariana Islands | $140K | 0.1% | -29.8% | 13 | $0 |
| 14 | Kuwait | $136K | 0.1% | +161.2% | 20 | $8,630 |
| 15 | Cambodia | $122K | 0.1% | +57.4% | 18 | $38K |
| 16 | Australia | $103K | 0.1% | +16.9% | 16 | $9,046 |
| 17 | Kazakhstan | $94K | 0.1% | +15.0% | 17 | $4,688 |
| 18 | Vietnam | $91K | 0.1% | -84.6% | 11 | $0 |
| 19 | Uzbekistan | $79K | 0.1% | +110.3% | 23 | $0 |
| 20 | Bangladesh | $68K | 0.1% | -88.7% | 10 | $13K |
Countries are linked when exports of this product to them reached $5,000,000 over 24 months.
Monthly figures
| Month | Exports | vs year earlier | Export weight | Export $/kg | Imports | Import weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $13.8M | +2.5% | 27,472 t | $0.50 | $52.9M | 130,534 t |
| September 2026 | $12.7M | +7.2% | 25,861 t | $0.49 | $31.9M | 77,837 t |
| August 2026 | $10.5M | +8.6% | 21,830 t | $0.48 | $54.9M | 137,199 t |
| July 2026 | $11.0M | -17.5% | 22,715 t | $0.49 | $50.3M | 127,472 t |
| June 2026 | $7.1M | -41.5% | 14,517 t | $0.49 | $80.5M | 206,378 t |
| May 2026 | $8.0M | +2.2% | 16,181 t | $0.50 | $45.0M | 108,179 t |
| April 2026 | $8.4M | -5.0% | 16,900 t | $0.50 | $57.4M | 142,968 t |
| March 2026 | $7.6M | +3.9% | 15,006 t | $0.51 | $36.4M | 87,466 t |
| February 2026 | $4.5M | -31.3% | 8,495 t | $0.53 | $53.7M | 125,905 t |
| January 2026 | $5.4M | -12.5% | 9,895 t | $0.54 | $56.3M | 129,277 t |
| December 2025 | $10.2M | -40.6% | 18,676 t | $0.55 | $59.1M | 125,050 t |
| November 2025 | $13.9M | -28.1% | 25,127 t | $0.55 | $53.7M | 117,799 t |
| October 2025 | $13.4M | -27.4% | 24,025 t | $0.56 | $56.2M | 123,928 t |
| September 2025 | $11.8M | -37.4% | 20,966 t | $0.56 | $57.6M | 119,021 t |
| August 2025 | $9.7M | -40.6% | 17,035 t | $0.57 | $78.0M | 162,505 t |
| July 2025 | $13.4M | -24.5% | 23,178 t | $0.58 | $72.4M | 146,640 t |
| June 2025 | $12.1M | -6.6% | 20,667 t | $0.58 | $66.4M | 132,085 t |
| May 2025 | $7.8M | -30.1% | 12,241 t | $0.64 | $68.7M | 133,720 t |
| April 2025 | $8.9M | -7.5% | 13,819 t | $0.64 | $73.5M | 146,031 t |
| March 2025 | $7.3M | -8.3% | 11,075 t | $0.66 | $71.4M | 135,104 t |
| February 2025 | $6.5M | -55.4% | 9,790 t | $0.67 | $47.8M | 85,116 t |
| January 2025 | $6.1M | -67.5% | 9,098 t | $0.68 | $59.5M | 111,392 t |
| December 2024 | $17.2M | -23.6% | 26,199 t | $0.66 | $103.3M | 198,973 t |
| November 2024 | $19.3M | -4.8% | 29,737 t | $0.65 | $65.7M | 123,102 t |
Exports FOB, imports CIF, US dollars. Weight is net weight. "vs year earlier" compares export value with the same month one year before and is left blank when that month was under $10,000. Source: Korea Customs Service, via data.go.kr.