83.1% of Korean Exporters Report Rising Shipping Costs as Top H1 Logistics Challenge

According to Korea Trade Association's survey released on July 26, 83.1% of Korean export manufacturers cited rising shipping costs as their biggest logistics challenge in the first half of 2026. The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) climbed to 3,062 points, up 2.3 times since late February and 1.4 times higher than last year's peak.

However, 78.1% of surveyed companies reflected less than 20% of cost increases in product prices, while 32.9% could not pass on any costs. As a result, 85.9% of respondents reported declining operating profit margins in H1 2026, with 39.3% experiencing declines of 3–5 percentage points.