Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-To-Length Plate From the Republic of Korea: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2018-2019

AGENCY:

Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate from the Republic of Korea. The period of review (POR) is May 1, 2018, through April 30, 2019. The review covers one producer/exporter of the subject merchandise, POSCO/POSCO International Corporation and its affiliated companies (collectively, the POSCO single entity). We determine that sales of subject merchandise by the POSCO single entity were not made at prices below normal value (NV).

DATES:

Applicable March 24, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joshua Simonidis or William Horn, AD/CVD Operations, Office VIII, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-0608 or (202) 482-4868, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Commerce published the Preliminary Results on July 27, 2020. We invited interested parties to comment on the Preliminary Results. For a complete description of the events that occurred subsequent to the Preliminary Results, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

Scope of the Order

The merchandise subject to the Order is carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate. The product is currently classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings 7208.40.3030, 7208.40.3060, 7208.51.0030, 7208.51.0045, 7208.51.0060, 7208.52.0000, 7211.13.0000, 7211.14.0030, 7211.14.0045, 7225.40.1110, 7225.40.1180, 7225.40.3005, 7225.40.3050, 7226.20.0000, and 7226.91.5000.

The products subject to the investigations may also enter under the following HTSUS subheadings: 7208.40.6060, 7208.53.0000, 7208.90.0000, 7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.19.1500, 7211.19.2000, 7211.19.4500, 7211.19.6000, 7211.19.7590, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, 7214.10.000, 7214.30.0010, 7214.30.0080, 7214.91.0015, 7214.91.0060, 7214.91.0090, 7225.11.0000, 7225.19.0000, 7225.40.5110, 7225.40.5130, 7225.40.5160, 7225.40.7000, 7225.99.0010, 7225.99.0090, 7206.11.1000, 7226.11.9060, 7229.19.1000, 7226.19.9000, 7226.91.0500, 7226.91.1530, 7226.91.1560, 7226.91.2530, 7226.91.2560, 7226.91.7000, 7226.91.8000, and 7226.99.0180.

The HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes only; the written product description of the scope of the Order is dispositive. For a complete description of the scope of the Order, see the Preliminary Results.

Analysis of Comments Received

All issues raised in the parties' case and rebuttal briefs are addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum and are listed in the appendix to this notice. The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on-file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly on the internet at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/index.html.

Changes Since the Preliminary Results

Based on the comments received from interested parties and record information, we made certain changes to our preliminary dumping margin calculations for the POSCO single entity. For a discussion of these changes, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

Final Results of the Review

As a result of this review, we determine the following weighted-average dumping margin exists for the POR:

Disclosure

Commerce intends to disclose the calculations performed for these final results of review within five days of the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register, in accordance with section 751(a) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Assessment Rates

Commerce has determined, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries of subject merchandise in accordance with these final results of review. Because the weighted-average dumping margin for the POSCO single entity is zero percent, we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties.

Commerce's “reseller policy” will apply to entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by companies included in these final results of review for which the reviewed companies did not know that the merchandise they sold to the intermediary (e.g., a reseller, trading company, or exporter) was destined for the United States. In such instances, we will instruct CBP to liquidate unreviewed entries at the all-others rate if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction.

Consistent with its recent notice, Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the Federal Register. If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired (i.e., within 90 days of publication).

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following deposit requirements will be effective for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date of the final results of this administrative review, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for the POSCO single entity will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margin established in the final results of this administrative review (i.e., zero percent); (2) for merchandise exported by a producer or exporter not covered in this review but covered in a prior segment of the proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding in which the producer or exporter participated; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or the original less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation, but the producer is, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recently completed segment of the proceeding for the producer of the merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and exporters will continue to be 7.10 percent ad valorem, the all-others rate established in the LTFV investigation.

These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Notification to Importers Regarding the Reimbursement of Duties

This notice also serves as a final reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during the POR. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in Commerce's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

Notification Regarding Administrative Protective Order

This notice also serves as a reminder to parties subject to administrative protective orders (APO) of their responsibility concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. Timely written notification of the return or destruction of APO materials, or conversion to judicial protective order, is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and the terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

Notification to Interested Parties

We are issuing and publishing this notice in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(5).

Appendix

List of Topics Discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum

I. Summary

II. Background

III. The POSCO Single Entity

IV. Changes Since the Preliminary Results

V. Discussion of the Issues

Comment 1: Affiliation Between POSCO and Shilla Steel Co., Ltd.

Comment 2: Home Market Freight Revenue Capping

Comment 3: Freight Revenue Reported as Billing Adjustments

Comment 4: POSCO International Corporation's Plate Fabricating Division

Comment 5: Application of Adverse Facts Available (AFA) to POSCO's Conversion Costs

Comment 6: Application of AFA for POSCO's Service Centers' Reporting

VI. Recommendation