25% Tariffs for Real? South Korea "Pursued" by the US Again
South Korea has re-entered new trade talks with the US after President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Korean goods. This sentiment prompted Seoul to act quickly, preventing the tariff threat from actually being implemented.
South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington, but the first day of talks yielded no significant results. The two sides agreed to resume negotiations on Friday.
The main trigger was Trump's warning that tariffs could reach 25% on Korean imports (said to include automotive, lumber, and pharmaceuticals), as the US considered the implementation of commitments under the previous agreement to be slow.
From Seoul's perspective, Kim emphasized that South Korea remains committed to fulfilling its investment promises and pushing for the necessary regulations (legislation) to facilitate smoother Korean investment in the US—one of Washington's key points.
This issue was also briefly linked to South Korea's investigation into the Coupang data leak, but South Korean officials stated that the tariffs were unrelated to that case.
Beyond tariffs, other pressures are emerging: the US has also placed South Korea under macro/foreign exchange policy scrutiny, as Korea remains on the Treasury Department's "watch list" (without allegations of manipulation).
South Korea's next move is to send senior officials to defuse the situation—including a meeting between Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and US trade negotiator Jamieson Greer—while the market waits to see whether the tariff threat is merely a "pressure tool" or actually becomes policy. (asd)
Source: Newsmaker.id
