Container shipping costs to U.S. jump over 20% in June

Container shipping costs to the United States rose sharply last month dued to increased shipments to the country.

According to the Korea Customs Service on Tuesday, the average shipping cost for a 40-foot container from South Korea to the U.S. east coast climbed about 23 percent in June from the previous month, reaching 6-point-7 million won or roughly 5 thousand U.S. dollars.

Rates to the west coast also jumped more than 16 percent.

A Korea Customs official said the surge in freight rates was driven by increased shipments to the U.S., but costs remain volatile due to ongoing tariff-related uncertainties.