The Korea Forest Service (Minister KIM In-ho) announced on September 17th the official launch and full-scale operations of the ‘EUDR Response Task Force’ to help Korean timber product exporters effectively respond European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (as known as EUDR), officially coming into effect on December 30th, 2025, and to strengthen their competitiveness in the face of new trade barriers.

The EUDR requires operators and traders intending to place the 7 relevant commodities and products, including cow, cocoa, coffee, palm, soy, rubber, and timber, on the Union market to submit a due diligence statement demonstrating their products are free from deforestation and forest degradation.

Under this regulation, Korean timber exporters to EU may be requested to provide information ensuring that their products have not induced deforestation as well as forest degradation, and comply with legal requirement.

In response, the Korea Forest Service held an explanatory seminar for exporters on August 11th regarding the EUDR requirement.

NAM Song-hee, Director General of the International Affairs Bureau at the Korea Forest Service, said that “Amid rising uncertainty regarding global trade realities, we will strive to cope wisely with the new trade environment arising from the EUDR by close cooperation between the public and private sectors.”