In a regulatory filing on Thursday, the company said revenue rose 5.2% from the previous quarter, operating profit jumped 2,886.2%, and net income swung to a profit. From a year earlier, revenue increased 18.1%, operating profit rose 403.9%, and net profit climbed 153.3%.
Dongkuk Steel said the earnings improvement reflected its strategy to expand exports globally. It said higher export volumes led to increased production and sales of long steel products. The company said it plans to adjust the share of export sales flexibly this year in response to shifts in domestic demand.
Dongkuk CM reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of 494.4 billion won, operating profit of 11.2 billion won and net profit of 10.3 billion won on a separate K-IFRS basis. Revenue rose 7.4% from the previous quarter, and both operating profit and net profit returned to the black. From a year earlier, revenue fell 6.1% and operating profit declined 25.9%, while net profit increased 6.1%.
Dongkuk CM, which has a high share of exports, said it returned to profit by improving earnings through price increases and cost controls despite worsening market conditions, high tariffs and stronger protectionism. It said it realized gains by reducing sales of low-margin products and expanding production and sales of premium materials such as Luxteel and Appsteel.
Separately, the government this month approved provisional anti-dumping duties of up to 33.67% on galvanized and color steel sheets from China. The move is expected to curb inflows of low-priced Chinese products and increase the use of high-quality domestically made steel for construction materials. The decision follows anti-dumping duties on heavy plate and hot-rolled products and is significant for completing a broader protection framework across the domestic steel value chain, including upstream and downstream processes.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.