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Raw materials & energyMarkets & CustomersRegulatory & Legal 28 Sep 2026

Hansol Paper rolls back printing paper discounts from 28 September

Hansol Paper will roll back discount rates on white paper, MFC, art paper and lightweight paper from 28 September 2026, effectively raising supply prices to offset pulp and energy costs. The move follows an April 2026 Korea Fair Trade Commission ruling that Hansol and five other paper makers colluded on printing paper price increases; Hansol's fine was set at USD 104m (KRW 142.58bn) before leniency reductions cut the six companies' combined penalty to USD 106m (KRW 144.1bn).

Why this mattersDiscount rollbacks from 28 September lift Korean printing paper prices while Hansol carries a cartel fine and borrowings above USD 601m (KRW 820bn).

  • Hansol Paper will adjust discount rates on white paper, MFC, art paper and lightweight paper from 28 September 2026, effectively raising supply prices.
  • The KFTC ruled in April 2026 that Hansol Paper and five other paper makers had agreed printing paper price increases over about three years and ten months.
  • The original combined fine for the six companies was USD 248m (KRW 338.3bn), with Hansol Paper's share set at USD 104m (KRW 142.58bn).
  • After leniency applications, the six companies' combined fine was reduced to USD 106m (KRW 144.1bn).
  • Second-quarter 2026 operating profit was USD 37m (KRW 50.8bn) against USD 14m (KRW 19.3bn) a year earlier; first-half revenue rose 1.0% and operating profit 56.4%.
  • First-quarter 2026 total borrowings exceeded USD 601m (KRW 820bn), with negative operating cash flow.
  • Hansol Paper and Korea Paper Co notified printers of further price increases of up to 13% beyond the discount rollback
  • Korea Federation of Printing Cooperatives and 11 regional cooperatives issued a joint statement against the increases on 27 September 2026
  • Chinese hardwood pulp, which accounts for about 40-50% of printing paper production cost, rose about 13% from USD 510 per tonne in September 2025 to USD 576 per tonne on 21 September 2026
  • Hansol Paper and Korea Paper notified clients of printing-paper price increases of up to 13% in September 2026, on top of the July-August discount cuts
  • The printing industry has demanded a rollback of the September price increases
  • The Fair Trade Commission ordered the six fined companies to independently reset printing-paper prices to pre-collusion competitive levels
  • The Fair Trade Commission separately sanctioned Hansol Paper and Korea Paper for bid-rigging in a tender run by newspaper Nongmin Shinmun
  • Korea Paper Co has separately notified customers of price increases on standard printing paper and its premium Arte grade.
  • South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported international bleached hardwood kraft pulp (SBHK) prices reached USD 780 per tonne, accounting for 40-50% of printing paper production cost.
  • An industry source said the printing paper segment posted losses of hundreds of hundred-million-won in the first half of the year.
  • Printing and publishing trade groups are demanding the price increases be withdrawn and a mutual-support fund set up instead.
Moorim P&P mentioned Hansol Paper Korea Paper Co Korea Federation of Printing Cooperatives counterparty Korea Paper Korea Fair Trade Commission counterparty
Sources newsspirit.kr KO m.wowtv.co.kr KO ir.newspim.com KO newspim.com KO hankooki.com KO
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Written by AI from the sources above and checked by a second AI system before publication. No human wrote or edited this story. How it is made.

Updates

  • 2026-09-24 · Edited before publication: KRW amounts must be converted to USD at 1365 with the original in brackets, USD first. Conversions applied throughout (KRW 338.3bn = USD 248m; 142.58bn = USD 104m; 144.1bn = USD 106m; 50.8bn = USD 37m; 19.3bn = USD 14m; 820bn = USD 601m). Facts otherwise match the Korean source.
  • 2026-09-24 · Edited before publication: Grounding and conversions are sound, but the headline implied the price increase follows from the cartel fine. The source attributes the 28 September discount rollback to pulp and energy costs and treats the KFTC case separately. Headline replaced with the event itself; summary, key facts and topics stand.
  • 2026-09-30 · Update: Hansol Paper and Korea Paper Co have notified printers of a further price rise of up to 13% on printing paper, prompting a joint protest from the Korea Federation of Printing Cooperatives and 11 regional associations.
  • 2026-10-01 · Update: Hansol Paper and Korea Paper have notified printers of further price rises of up to 13% in September 2026, prompting the printing industry to demand a rollback, and the Fair Trade Commission has separately sanctioned both firms for bid-rigging in a Nongmin Shinmun tender.
  • 2026-10-02 · Update: Printing and publishing trade groups have demanded Hansol Paper withdraw its discount cuts in favour of a mutual-support fund, as peer Korea Paper Co also raises prices on standard and premium Arte paper, citing hardwood pulp costs reaching USD 780 per tonne.