South Korea imports no Iran crude in August due to EU ban

SEOUL: South Korea imported no crude oil from Iran in August, data from the state-run Korea National Oil Corp. showed, as European Union sanctions hindered shipping and insuring cargoes.

South Korea's overall crude oil imports rose 11.2 pct in August from the same month a year ago as it increased shipments from other Middle Eastern producers, according to the KNOC data released on Monday.

South Korea is the world's fifth largest crude oil importer, and one of Iran's biggest oil customers. Its imports from Iran during the first eight months of the year stood at 38.77 million barrels, down 32.2 percent from the same year ago period, KNOC said.