Record imports are raising supply-chain and sanctions risks, particularly for Korea’s defense industry.
A man works at an aluminum plant, run by Rusal, in Irkutsk, Russia, on Sept. 27, 2022.
AFP/YONHAP
Korea’s imports of Russian aluminum surged to a record high last year, making Russia the country’s top aluminum supplier for the first time — a shift that is deepening supply-chain risks as Europe and the United States intensify sanctions against Moscow.
The reliance carries added weight, as a considerable portion of the imported aluminum flows into the defense sector — feeding the production of missiles and other weapons systems.
Korea imported 483,084 tons of aluminum from Russia last year, up 41 percent from the previous year, under the metal’s classification in Chapter 76 of the Harmonized System, an international standardized system for classifying traded products, according to data from the Korea Customs Service. The figure surpassed imports from longtime major suppliers like Australia at 408,657 tons and China at 394,837 tons.
The upturn has been steady, especially since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Compared to 120,629 tons in 2021, last year’s imports jumped more than three-fold.
Aluminum is indispensable to industries ranging from automobiles and construction to electronics, aerospace and defense manufacturing, prized for its light weight, corrosion resistance and difficulty in substitution.
Russia is home to Rusal, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, which accounts for roughly 5.5 percent of global output.
“With Western countries tightening sanctions, Russia reroutes its supply to Asian countries like Korea and China,” said Park Ji-won, a senior researcher on Russia and Eurasia at the Export-Import Bank of Korea’s Institute for Overseas Economic Research, who also advises the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.
“Korean companies know the risks, but the price advantage makes it difficult to walk away.”
Korea imported aluminum from Russia at $2,744 per ton in 2025 — nearly half the price of China’s $4,424 per ton and almost on par with Australia’s $2,659 per ton, long known for offering some of the cheapest rates.
The European Union declared it would phase out imports of Russian primary aluminum, virgin metal produced directly from bauxite ore via the smelting process, in its 16th sanctions package approved in February 2025, capping purchases at 80 percent of the previous year’s volume — about 275,000 tons — before a full ban takes effect at the end of 2026.
Belarusian aluminum was also included in the ban to close off a potential workaround.
The United States and Britain even moved earlier, jointly barring imports of Russian aluminum, copper and nickel in April 2024.
Korea has also joined Western sanctions on Russia in areas such as export controls on advanced technology and financial restrictions, but it has stopped short of banning Russian energy and material imports, including aluminum, coal, crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
Operators demonstrate the Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air guided missile system during an operational exercise at Air Force Unit 8146 on May 13.
JOINT PRESS CORPS
Analysts warn that Korea’s growing imports of Russian goods could eventually expose it to secondary sanctions risk from the West, pointing to concerns that such trade may help fund Russia’s war effort.
“Simply importing Russian metals like aluminum doesn’t automatically make a Korean company a target of secondary sanctions from Europe or the United States; however, the more immediate risks are restrictions on financial transactions and pressure on exports to the United States,” said Kang Boo-gyun, a senior researcher on Russia and Eurasia at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy.
“Banks and overseas partners may independently limit dealings tied to Russia, and Washington already imposes a 200 percent tariff on products made using alu minum smelted or cast in Russia,” Kang added. “Companies should weigh the potential for tighter sanctions and their impact on financing and exports, rather than basing sourcing decisions solely on what is currently permitted.”
In fact, Washington once imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on India over its purchases of Russian oil, raising the total to 50 percent in August last year. Two months later, the administration also sanctioned Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.
India ultimately vowed to halt purchases of Russian oil in exchange for tariff negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump that cut it to 18 percent in February 2026.
Korea’s defense industry appears particularly heavily reliant on Russian aluminum imports, given the metal’s critical role in weapons systems such as missiles.
Aluminum alloys — valued for their strength-to-weight ratio — are core structural materials in missile bodies, wings and fins, with lightweight aluminum-lithium alloys especially critical to achieving range and maneuverability in aerospace and missile systems.
“In domestic missiles like Cheongung-II, manufacturers rely on Russia for the vast majority of aluminum imports,” an industry source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Given Russia’s geopolitical risk, that dependence is especially dangerous for defense products, especially when many of which are destined for export.”
Korea’s defense exports rose 60 percent to $15.4 billion last year, with the order backlog at the country’s four leading defense contractors surpassing 100 trillion won ($70.8 billion) by the end of the first quarter.
BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]