National Foreign Trade Council Chairman Jake Colvin discusses foreign relations under the Trump administration in “The Claman Countdown.”
President Donald Trump said Monday he was raising tariffs on South Korea’s imports of cars, timber and pharmaceuticals to 25%, accusing Seoul of “non-compliance” with its trade deal.
“Our trade agreements are very important to America. In each of these agreements, we have acted quickly to reduce our tariffs in accordance with the agreed transaction,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“We naturally expect our trading partners to do the same,” he added That of South Korea The legislature had not approved the trade deal.
SOUTH KOREA INVESTS $350B IN US UNDER NEW TRUMP TRADE DEAL
President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on South Korea again to 25% after delays in an agreed trade deal. (Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images)
“Because the Korean legislature has failed to enact our historic trade agreement, which is their prerogative, I hereby increase South Korea’s tariffs on autos, lumber, pharmaceuticals and all other reciprocal tariffs from 15% to 25%,” Trump added.
A COMPLETE TIMELINE OF TRUMP’S TARIFF IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY AROUND THE WORLD
Hyundai vehicles are loaded onto a ship at a port near the company’s Ulsan factory in Ulsan, South Korea, on March 30, 2025. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
The move is part of Trump’s broader second-term strategy of using tariffs as leverage to enforce trade law, rather than as a temporary negotiating tool.
The move comes as the Trump administration awaits a Supreme Court ruling on whether some of the trade tariffs imposed in 2025 exceeded presidential authoritya decision that could have broad implications for current tariff actions.
CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO
President Donald Trump, right, and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung agreed to a trade deal in 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Tariffs are taxes imposed on imported goods. Although paid by companies at the border, the costs are often passed on higher pricesas a result, consumers have to bear a large part of the burden.
It remains unclear when the higher tariffs will take effect or how South Korea will respond.
