Korean Media: Trump: South Korea Will Approve the Delay ... Automobiles, Pharmaceuticals Tariffs Increased by 25%

On the 26th, U.S. President Donald Trump accused the South Korean National Assembly of not approving the trade agreement between the two countries, and announced that the tariffs on South Korean automobiles, timber, and pharmaceuticals would be immediately increased from the current 15% to 25%.

That day, he posted on his self-created social media "Truth Social," stating, "The South Korean legislative body has not fulfilled the deal with the United States," and announced the above news.

He emphasized, "Our trade agreement is crucial for the United States. The United States rapidly reduced tariffs according to the agreement, and it is only natural to expect our trading partners to take the same action."

Trump also specifically mentioned the fact that a deal was reached with President Lee Jae-myung, intensifying the pressure and recalling, "On July 30, 2025, I reached a perfect agreement that benefited both countries with President Lee Jae-myung, and on October 29, 2025, when I visited South Korea, I reaffirmed these conditions." Then, he asked discontentedly, "Why hasn't the South Korean National Assembly approved it yet?"

Trump warned, "As a response measure, because the South Korean National Assembly has not approved our historic trade agreement, I am hereby increasing the tariff on South Korean automobiles, timber, pharmaceuticals, and other equivalent tariff items from 15% to 25%."

Under the general tariff threat in the United States in July 2025, South Korea and the United States reached a trade agreement, setting the tariff ceiling for South Korean goods at 15%, while South Korea expanded investments in the United States. However, the South Korean National Assembly delayed processing the approval bill, so Trump resorted to the tough measure of raising tariffs.

Analysis suggests that the background for Trump's announcement of increasing tariffs under the pretext of "not fulfilling the deal" is that the South Korean National Assembly has been continuously postponing the approval bill for the past six months. Trump and President Lee Jae-myung reached the "Korea-U.S. Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement" in July and October 2025, and the approval bill had already been submitted to the National Assembly, but it still could not pass the plenary session.

At that time, the opposition party criticized, saying, "The government's compromise negotiation plan is 'humiliating diplomacy.' Competitor countries such as Japan or the European Union (EU) obtained lower tariff conditions, but only South Korea accepted a high tariff rate of 15%, and also took on a list of astronomical investment amounts (4.5 trillion U.S. dollars)." The opposition party demanded a re-negotiation, arguing that it harmed national interests, and has consistently refused to approve the agreement.

In this context, trade experts and business people have analyzed that "it is more beneficial for companies' profitability to directly bear the 25% tariff rather than invest tens of trillions of South Korean won and hand over jobs to the U.S." In other words, even if all the demands of the Trump administration are met, the uncertainty cannot be eliminated, so it is better to withdraw investments and accept the tariff instead.

Currently, the Democratic Party holds a majority in the National Assembly, and regardless of the opposition's objections, the Democratic Party can handle the approval bill alone if it wishes. However, even within the Democratic Party, there are concerns about the potential adverse effects of the June local elections due to the numerical advantage, and thus must make a decision from the political perspective.

Ultimately, the South Korean National Assembly did not process the approval bill even after the new year, and Trump then once again raised the tariff retaliation card that he had previously announced.

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855436261633028/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.