Certain Cut-to-Length Carbon-Quality Steel Plate Products From the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2013-2014

AGENCY:

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

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain cut-to-length carbon-quality steel plate products (CTL plate) from the Republic of Korea (Korea). The period of review (POR) is February 1, 2013, through January 31, 2014. The Department preliminarily determines that the producers/exporters subject to this review made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value or had no shipments of subject merchandise. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES:

Effective Date: December 19, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Yang Jin Chun, AD/CVD Operations, Office I, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone (202) 482-5760.

Scope of the Order

The products covered by the antidumping duty order are certain CTL plate. Imports of CTL plate are currently classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under subheadings 7208.40.3030, 7208.40.3060, 7208.51.0030, 7208.51.0045, 7208.51.0060, 7208.52.0000, 7208.53.0000, 7208.90.0000, 7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.13.0000, 7211.14.0030, 7211.14.0045, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, 7225.40.3050, 7225.40.7000, 7225.50.6000, 7225.99.0090, 7226.91.5000, 7226.91.7000, 7226.91.8000, and 7226.99.0000. While the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description is dispositive. A full description of the scope of the order is contained in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Preliminary Determination of No Reviewable Entries

We received timely submissions of letters from Hyosung Corporation (Hyosung), Samsung C&T Corporation (Samsung), and TCC Steel Corporation (TCC) reporting to the Department that they had no exports, sales or entries of subject merchandise to the United States during the POR. Based on record evidence, we preliminarily determine that Hyosung, Samsung, and TCC had no reviewable entries during the POR. For additional information on our preliminary determination of no reviewable entries, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Methodology

We selected one company for individual examination in this administrative review, Dongkuk Steel Mill Co., Ltd. (DSM). The Department conducted this review in accordance with section 751 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Constructed export price is calculated in accordance with section 772 of the Act. Normal value is calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act.

For a full description of the methodology underlying our conclusions, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is made available to the public via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at http://access.trade.gov,, and is available to all parties in the Department's Central Records Unit, located at Room 7046 of the main Department of Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be found at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/index.html.

Preliminary Results of the Review

As a result of this review, we preliminarily determine that the following weighted-average dumping margins exist for the respondents for the period February 1, 2013, through January 31, 2014. The rate for the companies not selected for individual examination is equal to the weighted-average dumping margin for the selected respondent, DSM.

Disclosure and Public Comment

We intend to disclose the calculations performed for these preliminary results to the parties within five days of the date of publication of this notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b). Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c), interested parties may submit case briefs not later than 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later than five days after the date for filing case briefs. Parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue, (2) a brief summary of the argument, and (3) a table of authorities.

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing, or to participate if one is requested, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, filed electronically via ACCESS. An electronically filed document must be received successfully in its entirety by the Department's electronic records system, ACCESS, by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain: (1) The party's name, address and telephone number; (2) the number of participants; and (3) a list of issues to be discussed. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those raised in the respective case briefs. The Department will issue the final results of this administrative review, including the results of its analysis of the issues raised in any written briefs, not later than 120 days after the date of publication of this notice, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act.

Assessment Rates

If DSM's weighted-average dumping margin continues to be above de minimis in the final results of this review, we will calculate an importer-specific assessment rate on the basis of the ratio of the total amount of antidumping duties calculated for the importer's examined sales and the total entered value of the sales in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1). If DSM's weighted-average dumping margin is zero or de minimis in the final results of review, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) not to assess duties on any of its entries in accordance with the Final Modification for Reviews.

For entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by DSM, for which it did not know its merchandise was destined for the United States, 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 the May 2003 Clarification, in the final results of this review, if we continue to find that Hyosung, Samsung, and TCC had no reviewable transactions of subject merchandise, we will instruct CBP to liquidate any existing entries of merchandise produced by Hyosung, Samsung, or TCC but exported by other companies at the all-others rate.

For the companies which were not selected for individual examination, Bookuk Steel Co., Ltd., and SM Solution Co. Ltd., we will instruct CBP to apply the rates listed above to all entries of subject merchandise produced and/or exported by those firms.

We intend to issue liquidation instructions to CBP 15 days after publication of the final results of this review.

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the notice of final results of administrative review for all shipments of CTL plate from Korea entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication as provided by section 751(a)(2) of the Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for companies subject to this review will be the rate established in the final results of this administrative review; (2) for merchandise exported by manufacturers or exporters 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 recent period; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or the original investigation but the manufacturer is, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recent period for the manufacturer of the merchandise; (4) the cash deposit rate for all other manufacturers or exporters will continue to be 0.98 percent, the all-others rate established in the less-than-fair-value investigation, adjusted for the export-subsidy rate in the companion countervailing duty investigation. These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Notification to Importers

This notice serves as a preliminary 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 this POR. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Department's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

The Department is issuing and publishing these results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act.

Appendix

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

Summary

Background

Scope of the Order

Preliminary Determination of No Reviewable Entries

Rates for Respondents Not Selected for Individual Examination

Comparisons to Normal Value

Determination of Comparison Method

Results of the Differential Pricing Analysis

Product Comparisons

Date of Sale

Level of Trade/CEP Offset

Export Price

Constructed Export Price

Normal Value

1. Overrun Sales

2. Selection of Comparison Market

3. Affiliated Parties

4. Affiliated Party Transactions and Arm's-Length Test

5. Cost of Production

6. Calculation of Normal Value Based on Comparison Market Prices

Currency Conversion

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