U.S. President Donald Trump announced an increase in tariffs for South Korea from 15% to 25% due to the fact that the country's parliament has not yet ratified the trade agreement reached between the countries in July 2025, DW reports.
U.S. President Donald Trump raised tariffs on goods from South Korea from 15% to 25% due to the fact that the country's parliament has not yet ratified the trade agreement that the leaders of the two countries agreed upon at the end of July. The corresponding statement was published by the U.S. leader on Monday, January 26, on his Truth Social page.
According to Trump, the South Korean parliament "is not fulfilling the terms of the agreement with the United States." "President Lee (Lee Jae-myung - Ed.) and I reached a mutually beneficial agreement on July 30, 2025, and we confirmed these terms during my visit to Korea on October 29, 2025," Trump wrote. He also questioned why the document has not yet been adopted.
"Since the Korean legislature has not adopted our historic trade agreement, which is its prerogative, I am raising tariffs on cars, lumber, pharmaceuticals, and all other reciprocal tariffs for South Korea from 15% to 25%," the American leader noted.
South Korean Authorities: No Official Notification from the U.S. Yet
In the South Korean presidential administration, commenting on Trump's post, officials told reporters that they have not yet "received official notification or detailed explanation from the U.S. government." They also announced an "emergency high-level meeting" involving the head of the presidential administration for political affairs and representatives of relevant ministries. Together they will work on "assessing the situation and developing responses," the Korea Times reports.
In addition, officials stated that Minister of Industry Kim Jong-kwan, who is currently in Canada, plans to travel to the U.S. soon to discuss the issue of tariff increases with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
U.S.-South Korea Trade Agreement
At the end of July, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his country and South Korea had reached an agreement on new trade terms with tariffs of 15% on South Korean imports. For the U.S., no tariffs on imports into South Korea are provided.
According to Trump, the agreement guarantees his country $350 billion in investments, which will belong to and be controlled by the U.S. Seoul also commits to purchasing $100 billion worth of energy resources from Washington.
However, during Trump's visit to South Korea at the end of October, the topic of investments sparked controversy. Seoul stated that the bulk of the $350 billion was intended for loans and guarantees for South Korean companies that would open new enterprises in the U.S. Trump, however, wanted Seoul to pay the entire amount in cash or in shares upfront. In this regard, President Lee stated that such large cash expenditures could destabilize the country's financial market, casting doubt on the investment deal.
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