Trump announced that the tariff on South Korean goods will be increased to 25%, accusing South Korea of delaying the approval of the trade agreement
On January 26 local time, U.S. President Trump posted on his social platform "Truth Social" that due to the failure of the South Korean National Assembly to approve the trade agreement previously reached with the United States, he decided to increase the import tariffs on South Korean cars, wood, and medicines, as well as other "reciprocal tariffs" from 15% to 25%.
Trump wrote: "Our trade agreement is very important to the United States. In every agreement, we quickly take action to reduce tariffs according to the negotiated deal. Of course, we hope our trade partners do the same."
Trump said: "The South Korean legislative body did not fulfill the agreement with the United States. President Lee and I reached a great agreement for the two countries on July 30, 2025, and reaffirmed these terms during my visit to South Korea on October 29, 2025. Why has the South Korean legislative body still not approved it?"
Trump stated: "Given that the South Korean legislative body has not yet passed this historically significant trade agreement... I hereby announce that the tariff rate on South Korean cars, wood, medicines, and all other reciprocal tariffs will be raised from 15% to 25%."
In response to U.S. President Trump's claim of imposing additional tariffs on South Korean cars and other products, the Blue House, the presidential office of South Korea, said that it has not yet received formal notification or related explanations from the U.S. government. The South Korean government will hold a meeting of relevant departments on the morning of the 27th to study countermeasures. Meanwhile, Kim Jung-hwan, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy of South Korea, who is currently visiting Canada, will also head to the United States as soon as possible for negotiations.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean and U.S. leaders held talks in Gyeongju, South Korea on October 29 last year, and the two countries jointly issued a joint statement on November 13, summarizing the agreements reached by the heads of state in the areas of security and trade. According to the statement, South Korea will invest 350 billion U.S. dollars in the U.S., while the U.S. will lower the tariff rates on South Korean cars and other goods, and agree to allow South Korea to introduce nuclear-powered submarines, and expand South Korea's uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing rights.
After that, the ruling Democratic Party of South Korea introduced the "Special Act on Investment in the U.S." on November 26 last year, and the U.S. government published an announcement on the official website of the Federal Register on December 4 of the same year, officially announcing that the tariff rate on South Korean exports to the U.S. would be reduced to 15%, effective retroactively from 12:01 a.m. on November 1 (Eastern Time).
The report pointed out that although Trump cited the delayed legislative procedures of the South Korean National Assembly as the reason for the threat to raise tariffs, whether it is solely due to this factor remains to be observed.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855425884030032/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.