S.Korean drivers panic buy urea after China tightens supply
SEOUL, Nov 5 (Reuters) - South Korean drivers are panic buying urea, an additive used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions, after China tightened exports, prompting the president's office to set up a taskforce on Friday to negotiate supplies from producer states like China.
Diesel cars represent 40% of registered motor vehicles in South Korea as of August, government data showed, after South Korea in 2015 made it mandatory for diesel cars to use urea solutions to control emissions.
South Korea is heavily reliant on China for urea. About 97% of imports came from China between January and September, according to the trade ministry, up about 8% from a year ago.
China's customs announcement last month of inspection certificates to ship fertiliser and related materials like urea, a type of nitrogen mainly used as a fertiliser in agriculture, was considered a de facto ban on exports to assure supplies in its domestic market.
