President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States will raise tariffs on imports from South Korea, citing the failure of the country’s National Assembly to ratify a trade framework unveiled last year.
In a social media post, Trump said duties would increase on South Korean automobiles, lumber and pharmaceutical products, while tariffs on other goods would rise from 15 per cent to 25 per cent.
The president had earlier imposed the tariffs by declaring an economic emergency, a move that allowed him to bypass the US Congress.
In contrast, South Korea requires legislative approval for the trade framework that was announced in July and reaffirmed during Trump’s visit to the country in October.
“Our Trade Deals are very important to America. In each of these Deals, we have acted swiftly to reduce our TARIFFS in line with the Transaction agreed to,” Trump said. “We, of course, expect our Trading Partners to do the same.”
The latest warning underscores the likelihood that trade tensions triggered by Trump last year will resurface repeatedly. Analysts say the global economy and US voters could face continued uncertainty as trade arrangements are frequently disrupted and renegotiated, with Trump using tariffs as leverage against other nations.
Trump has previously linked tariffs on South Korea to pledges by the country to invest USD 350 billion in the US economy over several years, including projects aimed at reviving American shipyards.
However, relations between the two allies have occasionally been strained, notably after US immigration authorities raided a Hyundai manufacturing facility in Georgia last year, detaining 475 people.
South Korea’s presidential office said in a statement that it has not yet received official notification from Washington regarding the proposed tariff increases.
The statement added that Industry Minister Kim Jung-Kwan, who is currently in Canada, is expected to travel to the United States soon for discussions with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
It also said presidential chief of staff for policy Kim Yong-beom will convene a meeting to review Trump’s announcement.
Monday’s tariff move reflects a broader pattern in which Trump continues to rely on trade penalties, a strategy that may further strain US relations with key partners.
Only last week, Trump threatened tariffs on eight European countries unless the United States gained control of Greenland, a demand he later withdrew following discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. On Saturday, he also warned of a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian goods if Ottawa proceeds with plans to deepen trade ties with China.
While Trump has touted his trade frameworks as tools to attract new investment into the United States, many of the agreements he has promoted remain unfinished. The European Parliament, for instance, has yet to approve a deal backed by Trump that would impose a 15 per cent tariff on most exports from the European Union’s 27 member states.
The United States is also expected this year to renegotiate its revised 2020 trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. In addition, Section 232 investigations under the 1962 Trade Expansion Act are ongoing, alongside a pending Supreme Court ruling on whether Trump exceeded his authority by imposing tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
