The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Monday that he decided to raise tariffs on products from South Korea from 15% to 25% because the Asian country has not yet implemented the trade framework agreed with Washington last year. 'The South Korean Legislature is not complying with its agreement with the United States. Why hasn't the South Korean Parliament approved it?', lamented Trump in a message on his social network, Truth Social. Trump assured that due to the inaction to ratify the agreement, he will increase tariffs on South Korean imports 'on automobiles, wood, pharmaceutical products and all other products subject to reciprocal tariffs', although he did not specify a date for the entry into force of this measure. The tariff and investment package agreed with Washington, which established a base tariff rate of 15% for South Korean products and large investments by its conglomerates on U.S. soil, is still not effective in the Asian country due to internal disagreement over the role the National Assembly (parliament) should play in its implementation. The main obstacle is the political and legal disagreement within South Korea over to what extent the agreement requires the participation of the National Assembly and what form that participation should take. The Lee administration argues that the package can be implemented mainly through executive decrees and a special law, but legal experts and part of the conservative opposition argue that not passing it through parliament would be unconstitutional. This latest announcement by Trump adds to the tariff threats that the leader continues to wield against countries that make decisions contrary to his interests, a policy that the U.S. Supreme Court of Justice is debating. President Lee (Jae-myung) and I reached a great agreement for both countries on July 30, 2025, and we reaffirmed those conditions while I was in South Korea on October 29, 2025.
