Australia, South Korea halt US-bound package shipping due to tariff change

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - South Korea and Australia on Thursday said that some forms of shipping to the US will be halted for now due to the US suspension of a duty-free policy for international shipments.

South Korea’s postal service will stop accepting air freight packages bound for US addresses starting Monday, and all parcels sent via Express Mail Service will be suspended, according to Yonhap News.

The halt will not affect shipments of documents and correspondence.

Customers will still be able to send packages through the premium EMS service, where the recipient is responsible for paying the tariffs.

Separately, Australia Post is now suspending some forms of shipping to the US, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"In line with a number of other postal operators, Australia Post has temporarily suspended its transit service to the US and will no longer accept transit items containing goods destined for the United States of America," an Australia Post spokesperson said, as cited by the media outlet.

The decisions come ahead of Washington ending the de minimis exemption, which allows parcels valued at $800 or less to enter the US without tariffs.

Starting Aug. 29, barring any last-minute change in US policy, all international shipments will face a 15% tariff.