Trump Tariffs :Trump Imposes 25% Tariffs on South Korea Over Alleged Trade Deal Failures

Trump Tariffs : US President Donald Trump announced on Monday (local time) that he is increasing duties on South Korean imports of automobiles, lumber, and pharmaceutical goods from 15% to 25%, accusing Seoul of failing to honor its trade deal with the US.

Trump also stated that he is imposing duties on South Korean goods because the country’s national assembly has not to adopt the trade agreement that he and President Lee Je Myung agreed to on July 30, 2025 and repeated during his visit on October 29, 2025.

Trump Tariffs on automobiles, lumber and pharmaceuticals

On Truth Social, the US President wrote: “Because the Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative, I am hereby increasing South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS, from 15% to 25%.”

“Our trade agreements are incredibly vital to America. In each of these transactions, we acted quickly to lower our TARIFFS in accordance with the transaction terms. “We, of course, expect our Trading Partners to do the same,” he stated.

“South Korea’s legislature is failing to live up to its agreement with the United States. On July 30, 2025, President Lee and I agreed on a Great Deal for both countries, which we confirmed on October 29, 2025, while I was in Korea. “Why hasn’t the Korean legislature approved it?” He added.

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South Korea is one of the United States’ largest import suppliers, exporting USD 132 billion in items to the US in 2024, according to Commerce Department data. Major shipments include autos and auto parts, as well as semiconductors and electronics, all of which may face higher pricing as a result of the increased taxes.

US-South Korea trade agreement

The tariff increase is a reversal of a trade agreement announced in July, when Trump stated that the US would impose a uniform 15% duty on goods imported from South Korea, a number that was 10 percentage points lower than what he had previously warned.

As part of the agreement, Trump stated that South Korea had committed to “give to the United States $350 billion dollars for investments owned and controlled by the United States, and selected by myself, as President.”

However, the Trump administration’s relations with South Korea have been strained at times, including a raid by immigration officials last year on a Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia, which resulted in the detention of 475 individuals.

South Korea’s presidential office responded in a statement stating the US had not officially informed them of the tariff increase plans.

Meanwhile, South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-Kwan, who is presently in Canada, is set to visit the United States for meetings with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. According to the statement, the presidential chief of staff for policy, Kim Yong-beom, will hold a meeting to discuss Trump’s remarks.