en.Wedoany.com Reported - Amid persistent disruptions to the global trade environment caused by ongoing tensions in the Middle East, South Korea's maritime ports saw cargo volume decline 4.8% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026.

Data released by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries showed that port cargo throughput from April to June totaled 375.95 million tons, compared with 394.99 million tons in the same period last year.

Import and export cargo throughput for the quarter stood at 318.01 million tons, down 5.6% year-on-year.

Container throughput at ports, however, rose 0.6% year-on-year, reaching 8.32 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in the second quarter. Among them, import and export container cargo amounted to 4.5 million TEU, down 0.9% year-on-year.

By route, traffic with the Middle East plunged 54.6% in the second quarter, while volumes with the United States and Vietnam fell 9% and 7.6%, respectively. Volumes with China and Japan, meanwhile, grew 7.7% and 1.5%, respectively. Transshipment volume rose 2.2% year-on-year to 3.78 million TEU.

By port, Busan Port handled 6.46 million TEU in the second quarter, up 0.5% year-on-year, while Incheon Terminal processed 900,000 TEU, up 1.9% year-on-year.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries attributed the second-quarter decline in cargo volume to sustained uncertainty stemming from the Middle East conflict, noting that these uncertainties have affected global logistics and energy markets.