Mixed moves for Korean paper and board prices as mills deal with costs

摘要

Some paper and board prices have risen in Korea despite poor general demand as mills have forced through increases due to their own high costs. Newsprint prices have, however, been stable since last quarter at Won 630,000/ tonne ($570/tonne) – down 13% since the same period last year. Domestic demand is estimated to have dropped 5-6%, but production curtailments have kept pace with this. Notably, market leader Jeonju Paper curtailed normal production by about 65,000 tonnes over October and November (No. 44, p.6).